The Immortals
by XoSpectator4
Summary: A world where the most well known sidekick moves from Berk to become a hero in his own right. New threats arise, threats that Hiccup knows he won't be able to handle alone. It's time for him and a band of heroes and outcasts to come together as The Immortals.
1. The Beginning

Midnight- a time where the city is dead save for the low down and those trying to keep them in check. The City known as Dragon's Edge was anything but silent, whether it be the loud music banging from beyond the walls of a fraternity, the sounds of screaming as another teenage couple got into a fight knowing damn well they weren't ready to move in together, or the sounds of crime seeping through the streets.

Five men stood in an alley just down the way from Deblois Street. The men chatted amongst themselves, two cars pulled into the alley and parked side by side. The trunks were open, with briefcases being shown. One large man, standing at a staggering 6'4 and sporting a somewhat trimmed mustache with a streak of hair going from his lower lip to his chin stood tall wearing a dark brown leather jacket over several gold chains and a black wife beater.

"We doing the deal or what Rykie?" A red headed man asked the taller one. This redhead stood just below Ryker's height at 6' even and had a wild fiery hairstyle to match his personality. He seemed calm on the surface as he looked at his men then at Ryker.

"Hold your horses Dagur, we're waiting on the okay." Ryker replied nonchalantly as he checked his phone. It soon chimed with a message, one that brought a smile to the large man's face. "Now we're good to go… let's see the money." He told Dagur who gave a wave of his right hand to one of the two men standing behind him.

The man moved to the trunk, grabbing their briefcase and walking it over before popping it open to reveal it's contents to Ryker. Ryker nodded, smiling brightly as he observed the currency hidden inside. He snapped his fingers, which led his associate to grab their briefcase and bring it over, opening it to reveal several bags of a white substance.

Dagur smiled at this. "This is it? The stuff they're calling Dragon's Breath? Looks like straight C to me." He notes , eyes moving over the substance.

Ryker chuckled "Yeah this is it. Changes colors when cooked and broken down...we sell it to all types, kids go crazy for the shit. Don't understand it, don't question it. It brings in the profit and that's all I care about...now then, we good or what?"

Dagur looked at the case once more, mulling over the deal before nodding, his briefcase being handed over. The briefcase Ryker had brought was handed to him and placed into their trunk. "We'll make our own steady little profit off this stuff.." the redheaded maniac states.

A high pitched shrieking sound tore through their ears in that moment, causing all five men within the alley to look upwards. "What in Thor's name was that?!?" One of Dagur's men asked as he drew out a 9mm from his coat and readied himself.

"That...was our new neighbor.." Ryker states as he looks over at them, his man loading the briefcase of money into their car in a hurry. As soon as he goes to close the trunk a sharp objects rips through the air and lands in his left hand.

He shrieks in pain and clutches his hand, staring at a black object protruding from his hand. The object is shaped like the letter V, a sleek black metal. "What the Hel?!?!" The man shouts as he tries to remove it.

"Ya know it's filth like you guys that make this city look bad." A modified voice speaks from the shadows. The men look all around before their eyes finally lock onto a dark figure on one of the rooftop above, cape flowing in the wind as he peered down at them with green eyes.

"It's Night Fury!" One of Dagur's men shouted as he aimed at the figure, Dagur drawing his own pistol and doing the same.

"Thunderdrum won't be far behind, look out!" He calls as Ryker draws his pistol, his injured man trying to tend to his hand. Night Fury audibly sighed before leaping off of the roof as the men below searched for an even larger figure. He fired a grappling hook next to the cars, which pulled him at a fast rate.

Using this momentum, he crashed onto one of Dagur's men, sending him flying into the side of their car, head hitting the window and shattering the glass. He slid down the side of the vehicle, a large dent being left behind as he went unconscious, blood slowly coming from his scarred head.

The other men turned their weapons on him, but we're too late as he pounced onto Dagur's other man, slapping his weapon from his hand before slapping him in the face. Dagur and Ryker took aim with their guns, opening fire.

Night Fury moved with a swiftness, dragging the man around and causing one bullet to hit his shoulder as the other hit his left leg. He spun around and tossed the man at Dagur. As he landed , he rolled into a kneeling stance and threw another projectile at Ryker.

It lodged itself into the barrel of his gun, causing it to explode the next time he pulled the trigger. Bits of shrapnel sliced parts of his face and shoulders as he screamed in pain, dropping what was left of the weapon.

Dagur pushed the man off of himself and looked up at Night Fury. Lit up green eyes stared back at him before rushing over and delivering a powerful kick to his jaw, knocking out several teeth and knocking Dagur head first into the other car.

With three men down, Night Fury turned to the injured Ryker and drew out a collapsible bo staff. The staff expanded in his hand, which he used to swing at the side of Ryker's jaw with enough Force to knock out five teeth and send a bit of blood flying to the ground below. As Ryker fell to the ground, his head collided with the hard pavement.

Night Fury jabbed the staff into the side of his head, ensuring both him losing consciousness and gaining a concussion in the process. He looked now to the man who's hand had taken a shuriken earlier and slapped him in the back of the head with the staff, knocking him out as well.

With the men unconscious, Night Fury tapped into the minicomputer installed on his wrist gauntlet before grappling away.

Within minutes, the police had arrived to the scene to make the needed arrests. As three police cars pulled out, from behind the wheel of one came a blonde haired , determined figure.

Officer Hofferson looked around at the bloody mess of criminals, shaking her head slightly as her fellow officers moved in. She turned her attention towards the roof tops, meeting the green eyed gaze of the figure that had done all this.

Her eyes narrowed at him, sending a glare his way. "He'd better be lucky we can't reach him right now" she thought as another officer approached- a blonde dreadheaded female.

"These guys got FUCKED up." Officer Thorston said, Hofferson merely nodding. "Yup...another show of Vigilante Justice." She said, air quoting the last part as she walked towards their squad car. "Let's just get these idiots to the precinct so we can head home." She said as she opened the back door, allowing Thorston to escort two of the men into the back in cuffs.

"I don't know As, I think the Vigilante thing is kinda cool." She says as she closes to the door. Astrid rolls her eyes as she opens the driverside door. "You would think that Ruff, you think everything is cool."

"Not true." Ruffnut replies as she gets into the passenger seat. "I don't think putting pineapple on pizza is cool. Nor is sleeping in your socks."

Astrid rolled her eyes as she started the vehicle and drove off towards the Dragon's Edge Precinct. '' I swear crime has gotten worse since that costumed freak showed up to Dragon's Edge.. like all these criminals come out to try to make their mark.."

"It's simple my dear Astrid, they see hero and they think taking him out boosts their credit. Not realizing that said hero is more serious than they think, I think these two's broken jaws say that much, right guys?" Ruffnut replies, turning her attention to the men in the backseat, both of whom are now awake and in pain.

"Right." She says as she turns to face Astrid once more. "I think it's cool. A costumed stud beating the shit outta the low lives in this town and making my job easier? Perfect."

Astrid rolled her eyes yet again "As I've said before Rachel, you think everything is cool."

"Hey hey don't go slinging my government name in front of these losers." Ruffnut replies whilst nudging a thumb towards the men in the backseat. Astrid chuckled as she turned into the parking lot and parked , then got out to deliver them into the building.

As she made her way in, another figure was making their way in a few steps behind her. She stopped for a moment as she thrusting the man she'd been escorting onto a chair nearby, turning to the Auburn haired figure that entered.

"Detective Haddock, I didn't see you at the crime scene." She said, crossing her arms as her cool blue eyes met his emerald green ones.

Henry "Hiccup" Haddock was a detective at The DEPD, transferred from Berk about three months ago. He chuckled slightly as he looked over at Astrid. "Yeah, I'll admit that's one me. Traffic was killer on the way from my apartment, ya know it was my day off til this shit happened." He replied as his left hand played with the strap of his satchel.

"But here I am, all the information needed locked into my mind and ready to be penned down." He ran a hand through his shaggy hair at that point, turning towards the two men they'd brought in, then back to Astrid and Rachel.

Astrid became slightly amused at that point, raising and eyebrow. "Really now? Please tell me what you've learned oh great detective."

"Well for one thing, those two are nothing more than henchmen in a bigger operation. Ever heard of the Grimborns? You guys picked up one of em, Ryker. Older brother, but second in command to Viggo. Viggo remains at large. They'd been making a deal with Dagur, leader of the Gang known as the Berserkers- a deal that involved Dragon's Breath." Hiccup stated as he opened his satchel and drew out a bottle of water.

"Approximately $50,000 had been traded to Grimborn. We're close to breaking apart their little operation honestly. Just gotta put that last piece together and we'll find em. After questioning that should be very easy."

With that being said, he carried on moving to the desk nearby and speaking with the woman behind it. Astrid's nose scrunched up slightly as she watched the exchange, then turned to Rachel. "Let's just get these guys in for questioning already…"

 **(casual transition)**

It had been about three hours since the men were arrested, Hiccup had finally made his way back home to his apartment. The complex itself was a large building in the upper parts of Dragon's Edge. To call it an apartment was being generous as it resembled a penthouse more closely. He buzzed himself in and stepped through his door, throwing his satchel aside and walking over to the couch.

He didn't sit down or anything of the sort, opting instead to walk over to the shelf that held his television and several other items, including a few soccer trophies and some magazines. Hiccup picked up a black statue of a Viking's head- pushing the head upwards and separating it from the pedestal it was upon. Beneath it was a shiny red button which he firmly pressed and held his finger down upon.

The button gleamed as it scanned his fingerprint, he then leaned in allowing it to scan his retina. With a click, the panel in the wall next to the couch slid open, revealing a small elevator. He stepped inside and awaited it to descend, watching the panel slide shut as he left.

"Most complicated ass hideout ever…" Hiccup thought as the elevator soon dinged and he stepped out, his view now changed to that of a cave with large lights arranged on the ceiling, hard white tiling on the cave floor, a large desk with several large computer monitors set up, a sleekly modelled motorcycle, and several other accutroments.

He shook his head gently as he walked over to the computer and turned it on before looking to his motorcycle. "Seriously dad… of all the ways to hideout, buying a whole apartment building and building this beneath it just seems to be a bit much….of course doing the most seems to be your thing.." Hiccup mutters to himself as he walks over to a glass case nearby.

He stared intently at the case, the item within the case being his focus. There staring back at him stood the suit of the Night Fury, the very same vigilante that struck earlier that night. "I really need to work on that screech." He says as he opens the case via a retinal scan and reached over, disconnecting a small part from the waistline and inspecting it.

"But then again….nah…" he says with a smile as he connects it back into it's proper place. He closes the case and walks over to the computer, taking a seat as a news report begins to play. "Late Night News, one of my favorite programs."

He leans back in his chair, picking up a V shaped shuriken and playing with it whilst watching. Nothing out of the ordinary until about Midway through, when reporter Heather Odswaldson began speaking on the events of the night.

"Known criminal Ryker Grimborn was arrested alongside an associate. With him was… known gang leader Dagur Brzak.." Heather paused for a moment, and Hiccup understood perfectly why. He sighed gently "Sorry Heather.." he said, knowing she couldn't hear him as he leaned back once again.

Soon he changed the channel, an episode of Rick and Morty playing now. "It must suck to be in her shoes right now...I can only imagine how this is gonna go.." he comments, lifting his eyes towards another screen nearby. A map of the entire city, perfectly marked was now on the screen.

As he began to pinpoint certain areas in certain districts, the screen went black. An icon appeared, a black circle with a white dragon in the center pinged as an incoming call came in. "Speak of the devil." He said as he tapped the icon, Heather's face appearing in a video chat.

"So...I see you've been busy." She says , causing Hiccup to smile awkwardly.

"Yeah...sorry Heather...he was just..there at the time." He replies while sitting up straight in his chair. "I know you wanted to be the one to bring him in, but they were talking about slinging Dragon's Breath to kids. I couldn't let him get away and go through with that."

Heather audibly sighed from behind her phone, Hiccup releasing a sigh of his own. "It's...okay...I just wish.. I wish I was there." She starts, Hiccup putting down his shuriken as she speaks. "He's my brother after all. I just wanted to try to appeal to him one last time.."

"Heather I know. And I'm sorry I cost you that but he had to go… you'll be able to visit him though." He says, trying to bring a sense of levity to the situation. "Look, I'm about to head out for the night.. you wanna come with? Have a bit of fun?" He asks, his eyes panning over to his suit and back to her.

Heather giggled softly, pushing her hair behind her ears. "I'm already dressed." She says, moving her camera down her body to show off her suit- a dark gray, light gray, silver and aqua blue themed get-up. She pulled the dark gray hood over her head at the moment, then placed a blue mask over her eyes.

"Ready when you are." She said with a smile as the eyes of the mask lit up a bright blue. Hiccup smiled. "Always two steps ahead, eh Windshear?" He asked, getting a chuckle from his old friend as she ended the call. He rushed over to his suit, staring at the mask for a moment with a smile as he nodded.

"Let's do this.."

 **(casual transition)**

Night Fury and Windshear stood perched upon one of the highest rooftops in Dragon's Edge, looking down into the city below. "Man there is not much going on tonight is there?" Night Fury asked in a modified voice, Auburn hair whipping in the air from the top of his mask.

The lit up green eyes of his mask shined down onto the streets below in a spotlight function, which he soon switched off. Night Fury shook his head. "I really need to put that spotlight somewhere else, fucks with my sight."

Windshear chuckled as she crossed her arms and took a seat on the edge of the roof. "So...how's things with you and Officer Hofferson?" She asked, her voice too being modified by her suit.

He rolled his eyes beneath his mask and scoffed. "I don't like her. She hates me, I think. We're like rivals at this stuff." He replied, walking over and standing next to her.

"Rivals? But you're a detective and she's an officer, your roles are kiiinda different."

"Yeah, but we still find a way to compete. She makes the arrests, oh that's cool but I figure out the important stuff to make more arrests. And she tries to make those arrests before I can crack the case." He says, taking a shuriken from his belt and playing with it.

Windshear looks up at him, smiling. "So….puppy love type thing? Competitive lovers? This is juicy." She comments as she then looks to her wrist. The conversation they'd been having was cut short, by the screams of a woman a block away.

Windshear launched to her feet before jumping off the roof, tapping two fingers on to a pressure plate on the wrist of her gauntlet, which cause a whip to fire out of the gauntlet- edged with a razor. The steel razor sticks into the side of a building nearby, allowing her to swing freely over the streets and on to another roof where she repeats the process.

Night Fury snorts as he watches her. "Spider-Woman much?" He asks before chuckling and doing the same with his grapple launcher, swinging off behind her. As he nears the scene of the crime, his mask scans the area for heat signatures, the green lenses turning red. He releases his grapple and latches both hands onto the red colored inside of his black cape, stretching the material to allow himself to glide overhead.

As he nears the alley, he scopes out the scene, soon hearing Windshear's voice call over to him. "Three men attacking one poor woman...sad really." She says.

He shakes his head and releases the cape, freefalling at that point. He lands on one of the men, hearing a few cracks as he did so. He changed the function of his mask to that of an x-ray, checking the damage. "Fractured collarbone, broken left shoulder, three broken ribs, fractured ankle…. Good landing if I do say so myself." He says as the other two men rush him.

One of them is stopped, as a razor protrudes from his right shoulder. He screams loudly before being zipped back into the grasp of Windshear and slammed into the ground headfirst.

"Two down, one to go." She says

"Dibs!" Night Fury shouts as he turns sharply on his heel, spinning his fist back at the man and slamming it into his jaw with enough Force to knock out five teeth. The man collapses to the ground, blood pooling from his mouth. "Too easy.." he comments before turning to the woman, still scared out of her mind.

The Night Fury, whose lenses had turned blue, switched back to his usual green before walking over slowly. "Are you alright?" He asked? The woman was shaking, backing away slowly as he asked this.

"Ma'am, are you alright?" He repeated the question, the woman still not replying. "Are you- look we just saved you, we need you to call down and answer. Are you alright? Did they hurt you? We're not going to hurt you, because we hurt them...get it?" He asked once more, clarifying for the scared woman.

"I-I'm f-fine…" the woman replied slowly. "I'm fine , thank you.."

Night Fury nodded as Windshear dragged the three unconscious men into a pile whilst retracting her whip. "Did you know them?" She asks as she walks over to them.

The woman shakes her head. "N-no I was j-just on my way home from work." She explains, the fear she felt in the moment was subsiding now, slowly but surely.

Night Fury nodded. "Well the cops are on their way here now if you wanna stick around and tell them what happened, if not , if you just wanna head home that's fine."

The woman shook her head. "No...I'll... I'll stay.." she says, walking over to the heroes,trying to keep a clear mind. Night Fury looked to Windshear then back to them woman. "Well we'll be here with you, but when they get here we gotta go."

The sound of sirens approached blared throughout the city streets, the two looking up then at one another. Night Fury looked to the pile of unconscious men as Windshear fired her whip towards the rooftop above. He turned just as the squad car rounded the corner into the alley, watching it pull to a stop as he reached for his launcher.

Out of the car burst two blonde haired figures, pistols drawn and aimed at the hero. Officer Hofferson shouted over "Put your hands on your head."

The Night Fury paused for a moment, looked at Hofferson and Thorston, and gave a chuckle. "Nah I'm good." He said while launching his grapple at the same roof, zipping upwards and onto the roof.

Officer Hofferson growled lowly, keeping her weapon pointed at him as Officer Thorston walked over to the men. "Dammit…" she cursed as Night Fury and Windshear took off into the night.

"Come on Astrid. You respected Windshear for being a badass woman but you detest Night Fury?" Ruffnut asked as he handcuffed each man.

"I said I respect her sense of justice but still detest her vigilante lifestyle, and it's the same situation with him." She says , making her way to the woman just as another squad car pulled up. "But mark my words...one day I will unmask and bring them in...and I can't wait."

 **(casual transition)**

"Man that chick really has it out for us." Hiccup comments as he rests his legs upon his computer desk, his mask, cape and gloves resting nearby. Heather watched as the male hero chewed on a slice of pizza while she looked over some of his recent investigations on a tablet, her mask, gloves and wing pieces resting on another table nearby.

"You can say that again. But I must thank you, when you showed up you took alot of the attention off of me. Headlines went from badass female hero in the streets to Legendary Sidekick of Thunderdrum hits the city."

"Hey hey hey, please don't call me a Sidekick. That's not what I am anymore and that's why I came here." Hiccup said, standing up and walking over to the same table Heather's gear rested on to grab another slice of pizza.

"Aw did I hurt your feelings? Good thing you heal fast huh?" She asked as he rolled his eyes and smiled at her. "Shut up before I kick you out of the Dragon's Den." he replied

"Dragon's Den, that's what you're calling it now?" she asked, eyebrows raised in interest as he laughed. "Well yeah, I mean... Night Fury is based off a dragon, I fly...or, well, I glide….so.. Dragon's Den made sense alright?!"

"To each their own I suppose." She replies while grabbing a slice of pizza for herself. "You know what I call my hideout? The Hideout. It's simple, straight to the point and not as childish sounding as Dragon's Den. Seriously, that sounds like an amusement park attraction or something."

"Please stop roasting my base." He said as he plopped down into his chair and opened his computer. As he was about to pull up a tab, the screen went black and another icon appeared. "Incoming call from Thunderdrum.'' The computer chimed loudly, Hiccup pausing as he watched this.

"It's been three months Hiccup...you need to talk to him sometime." Heather said, causing him to turn towards her for a moment before turning back to the screen. "Yeah?" He then tapped the red button to cancel the call. "Well sometime isn't today.."

He leaned back in the chair then, Heather watching in silence before letting out a sigh. "He's your father...like it or not you're going to have to talk to him, may not be today or even tomorrow but someday you will.." she says as she picks up her gear, putting on the mask and going over to a sink to wash her hands.

As she did this, Hiccup let his mind think over what she'd said. He bit his bottom lip gently whilst thinking about it. "I know you're right….but I'm just not ready yet.."

"I understand that." She says as she walks back offer to him, putting on her gloves. "But you will be ready someday. I know you will.." she places a supportive hand onto his shoulder and smiles.

"I'll see you later Hic, I gotta be up in the morning." With that, she headed towards the elevator, Hiccup giving a wave as she left before returning to him computer.

"Someday…. But not today.."

 **(final transition)**

Astrid sighed as she opened the door to ehr apartment, throwing her leather jacket off and onto the rack next to the door. she walks into her kitchen whilst removing her hair from the ponytail it had been in throughout the day. She rested both hands on the side of the kitchen sink before running some warm water.

Astrid shakes her head wildly , splashing a bit of the water onto her now flushed face whike trying to regain her composure. She stands up straight, turning off the water and taking a bretah in, then out. Once done she walks towards the fridge, reaching for it. The lights within her apartment seemed to flicker for a moment as she reached for the door handle.

As her hand wrapped around the handle, the whole apartment went dark save for a brief bright spark from the refrigerator. When they came back on, she looked to see a dark spot, similar to a burn left on the handle. "Oh no..no no no.." she she mumbled while backing away, moving into a fetal position on the floor.

"Please Gods no...not again...not again..." she said, tears streaming from her eyes. As she looked up, her pupils turned the same color as her irises. Pure blue sparked with electricity as a current flowed through heri veins. Her whole body shook beforr dispersing a wave of electrical energy, shutting down power in her apartment.

Astrid sat there for a few minutes before prying open the fridge and reaching inside. She grabbed a vial of clear liquid from inside ans moved completely to her feet, walking out of the Kitchen. The lights came on once again as she walked to her bedroom and reached into a drawer in the dresser next to her bed.

A syringe gleamed in the light of her lamp as she filled it with the clear liquid, then quickly injected herself with it. As she did this, her heart rate began to go down and returned to normal. The brigjt blue coloring of her veins turned back to a normal shade, her eyes returning to normal as well.

She let out a deep sigh and laid back onto her bed, staring at the ceiling while praying to the Gods above.

 ** _Yeah I'm back with another story, also with an update for my other HTTYD Story. This is inspired by Titans and will features alot of badass heroes, some dragon based and some not at all.It's main focus is on Hiccup and Stoick's relationship, and the struggles all of them will face. So please , follow, favorite and review for more. I'll see ya all next time.Thanks for reading 3 . OH SHIT! before i forget_** ** _for a look at Night Fury and Windshear and all of the hero costumes when i introduce them, follow me on Instagram @patriot5art_** ** _again, thats patriot5art_**


	2. The Mystery

"There was a random power surge in the lower districts last night. A small apartment complex lost all of it's power for a moment, after the building's power levels shot up sky high for a few seconds then died down. " Hiccup noted while looking over his digital map of Dragon's Edge.

He pinpointed the building with a yellow dot and opened up another computer screen, tapping into a network of security cameras. He then went to the cameras in the same building and found footage from the previous night.

All he could see though was pitch black. "Damn power surge was strong enough to take out the cameras before it was even fully realized. Maybe if I rewind a bit further." He said as he played the tapes back further, watching as people came and went.

He paused as a familiar face entered here own apartment, then played on from there. "Astrid stays there, I can ask her a bit about it tomorrow. But not too much. Don't wanna draw suspicion." He notes as he watches the footage further.

Switching the camera view, he tapped into four more computers, bringing up every camera from every apartment in the building in sets of ten on each screen. Now sitting there with forty different views, he should be able to piece together what caused the surge.

"That was way too strong to be a transformer blowing out.." he said , watching each room very carefully as he played the tapes and viewed the screens one by one. As he reached Astrid's screen he paused, watching as she sat curled up in the kitchen.

This raised some concerns for Hiccup, Astrid was his rival for sure but he still somewhat saw her as a friend. And she was still his coworker. If she's having problems, he may need to talk to her.

"Wait…" he stopped for a moment, watching the Sparks build up around the blondes body as she shakes in fear. Her whole body illuminates for a moment and then. Nothing. Pitch black..

The cameras don't come back on. Hiccup leans back in his chair eyes wide at what he'd just seen. "Astrid is the power source...but how...what…. I have so many questions right now.."

He slid his hands behind his head as he pondered what he should do next. His eyes then moved over to his suit, a look of determination coming upon his face.

 ** _(Casual transition)_**

Astrid found herself waking up a few hours later, eyes shooting over to the alarm clock next to her bed to check the time. "3:04 in the morning." She noted as she turned, slipping out of bed slowly.

Her body had readjusted in the time she'd been asleep thankfully, it meant the medicine was still doing it's thing.

She rubbed her arm, her hand gently going over the marks from the syringe earlier as she did so. Still in her clothes from earlier, she walked out of her bedroom and into the kitchen at a slow, almost zombie-like pace. Her hand reached out for the light switch as she remained completely unaware of the dark figure sitting in a chair in her living room area.

The green eyes figure waited a moment before standing up. "Are you alright?" The modified voice asked, leading Astrid to jump,pivot and reach into her kitchen drawer , pulling out a .9mm and aiming at him. "I took the magazine out." Night Fury says, watching as she pulled the trigger and heard nothing but the metallic click.

She sighed as she put the weapon down and glared over at him. "What the fuck are you doing here?" She asked, venom in her voice. She hated this man, and just who the hell did he think he was to break into HER home? The cocky bastard, same bastard who laughed at her earlier on in the night before making a getaway.

He pissed her off to say the least. "Are you alright?" He asked her again , stepping a bit closer. "Astrid I came to investigate a energy source… rewinded the security cameras to see if I could find anything and...well I saw ….you.."

Astrid's eyes widened a bit, but she managed to keep her composure for the most part. "I have n-no idea what you're on about." Did I just stutter? Oh hell no, Astrid Hofferson does NOT stutter.

Night Fury sighed at that point. "You're taking Anaxylophal, that's a suppressant. Relieves tension in your body by numbing your muscles and forcing back abnormalities, mainly used for heavy sickness or for major pain relief… you use it for...something else." He notes, pulling her vial out and showing it

"You've been snooping around in my stuff too?!" She asks, pointing a finger at him angrily. Night Fury looked down for a moment. "It's alright to be scared...it's understandable...but if you are..ya know...if you're Enhanced, let me help you."

"Help me how?" She asked, crossing the arms over her chest as Night Fury hesitantly replied. "Help you to control it, because this-" he held up the vial of liquid. "this isn't control Astrid….this is abuse. And I feel deep inside you know that."

"And just how, pray tell, is it abuse?" She asks as she draws a glass of water. He narrows his eyes at her. "You've been off your game lately haven't you? Headaches, nose bleeds those sorts of things?" He asks as the glass slips through her fingers,crashing onto the floor below.

"Loss of motor function and control over your muscles?" He asked , watching as this happened and she moved towards the broom in the corner.

"I've tried to make this as clear as I possibly could, and I genuinely mean it- I am not your enemy and I want to help you. Because you using this is only gonna hurt, and if you leave this unaddressed for too long there's no telling what could happen." He says, looking at the clear liquid for a moment before turning back to her as she went to clean the glass.

"Last time someone tried to help me, they turned me into a freak…" she said, her eyes growing puffy as she spoke, memories flashing in and out of her mind.

"So you were experimented on…" he remarks as she looks at him coldly. "Why are you still here? I don't want or need your help…" she says, nearly starting to shout.

He sighed at this response, releasing this was a battle he was bound to lose. Night Fury reached into his utility belt and drew out a small phone like device, placing it onto the counter. "If you ever change your mind, please just give me a call…" he says, making his way towards the fire escape.

As he reaches out the window, he turns to the one last time, hoping she'd reconsider then and there. But that didn't happen. She simply continued her clean up and drew another glass of water, proceeding to drink it as he disappeared into the night.

Astrid stared off behind him as she moved to close and lock the window back in place. "Help….no way…" she thought as she made her way back to her bedroom.

 ** _(Casual transition)_**

Hiccup had returned from talking to Astrid about an hour ago, and once he returned to his apartment he immediately took to researching the blonde as best he could. Nothing much as far as high school records, middle school records, public records and more was pulled up.

Information drawn from the furthest reaches of her Facebook, to even stuff drawn from Instagram- he was digging deep for this information. But not deep enough.

He'd paced in a line next to the computer for the past thirty minutes, wondering what to do next. He then pulled out his chair and sat down, entering a secure network before hacking into the Government's files.

It was there he managed to draw out the information he sought the most, even finding several video clips of Astrid in the hospital at the age of 18. As Hiccup dug even further, he found an archive of videos taken within what appeared to be a government lab.

He clicked the first video, and waited as it began. It featured an old man, who looked as though he hated the worst speaking to the camera.

"Date: March 20th, 2013. File 20-10: Hofferson, Astrid. Subject is diagnosed with Oshtoran Syndrome- Subject suffers symptoms affecting her cognitive functioning, psychiatric health, movement control, liver (fatty infiltration, hyperplastic nodules), fat metabolism, abnormal adrenal gland functioning and additional issues which are caused by disturbed signalling functions in the nervous and additional systems due to functional changes in a part of the immune system. The treatment given today will attempt to slow the process and activate a cellular regeneration function."

Hiccup sat back slightly, adjusting himself in his chair as the video continued on. The old man, which Hiccup had noted was named Doctor Mildew, moved over to an unconscious Astrid who had been laid out and strapped down to a metal table in the lab. Mildew slid a mask over his mouth and nose as several other scientists and doctors moved about.

He watched as she was injected with a strange fluid, it glowed a bright green color. As it poured out of the syringe and into her veins her body jolted for a moment as her veins lit up green. The camera had been moved in close enough to record this effect.

her body was left there for a few minutes,a just until the color of the fluid died down in her veins. Once that was done, a hospital bed had been wheeled into the room and she was placed on to it.

Mildew walked over to the camera. "Subject has been injected with chemical D-11195- a means of temporary stabilizing her and preparing her body for the bioelectric stasis chamber."

Hiccup raised an eyebrow in questioning as he heard this, leaning a bit closer to the screen. "Bioelectric stasis?" He asked himself as the video ended. There were a few more left to watch, but he had decided to call it a night and simply downloaded them to an untraceable server, saving them for later.

"Man have I got some questions…."

 ** _(Casual transition)_**

Astrid pulled open the door to her car early the next morning, tossing her phone into the passenger seat as she got in and started it up. She pushed for a moment, a strange feeling coursing through her body. She watched as the current shot through her body and into the steering wheel before hitting the engine and shutting down the car.

Her eyes widened and she swiftly moved outside the vehicle, popping up the hood to check on the engine. It was literally fried, smoke arising from it. She slammed the hood down in anger as she sighed deeply.

"Fuck!" She shouted as she leaned against the vehicle before rushing to the passenger seat to grab her phone. She quickly dialed away at a number and stuck the phone to her ear, waiting until the voice on the other end picked up.

"Ruff I need a ride to work, my car isn't starting up." She let out a breath of relief as she got confirmation from her partner, setting her phone down on the hood of the car as she looked towards her hands, watching as the energy died down inside of them.

"Why is this happening?" She whispered to herself as tears began to form in her eyes. "I was in control...I was…'' she sat down on the hood of the car , waiting in silence as her body shook gently.

It didn't take long from Ruffnut to pull up to the apartment complex, honking her horn to let Astrid know she was there. Astrid grabbed her stuff and rushed over, quickly getting into the passenger's seat with a "Thanks" being sung as she shut the door.

Ruff looked over at her partner and best friend as she drove off, her eyes moving in between the road and Astrid. "You okay?" She asks as Astrid nods her head "Just dandy…" is her response as she let's the seat go back a bit.

"You sure? Everything's good? Your um….your sickness isnt coming back….r-right?" She asked, a sense of fear arising now. She'd known Astrid since they were in middle school, and she'd been there for all of her troubles.

All of them.

Astrid sat there, arms snaking over her chest and crossing as she looked over at Ruff. "I...I don't wanna talk about it."

Upon hearing this, Ruff simply gave a nod as they began to approach the DEPD building. She parked her car and the two got out, walking towards the entrance. As they entered the building, they were met with the sight of Hiccup talking to a blonde haired figure with dreadlocks- this had been TJ "Tuffnut" Thorston, Ruff's twin brother.

"Dude no way in hell are we going to a midnight showing again, not after last time." Hiccup said as he tapped a manilla folder against the table next to them as Tuff threw his hands up.

"Aw come on! Last time wasn't all that bad!"

"We missed the whole show because the theater messed up our ticket booking." Hiccup noted as Astrid and Ruff approached, making their presence known.

"Morning boys." Ruff said as Astrid looked off to the side. Hiccup noticed this, eyes swiftly analyzing her for a moment before smiling at Ruff. "Morning, ready to get through another day in hell?" Astrid and Ruff smiled at this "Always" Ruff replied as Astrid tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.

Hiccup watched her closely, finally getting the nerve to speak up. "Astrid you feeling alright? You seem a bit distant today." He says as she turns her attention towards him, moving to speak but being cut off by Ruff.

"She's a bit sick today..' she starts as Astrid rolls her eyes and walks off in the opposite direction. Hiccup , Ruff and Tuff look on as she leaves then look to one another. "We should keep watch today, make sure she's good." Hiccup suggests as the Twins nod.

Hiccup took to his desk, opening a file that had been opened the previous day, the Dragon's Breath case had been long running and it had been updated last night. With the arrest of Dagur and Ryker, they had uncovered two of four major players in the drug trade business.

"Only ones left are Viggo Grimborn and an unknown kingpin…" Hiccup noted into his tape recorder as he crossed his arms, reading each word of the statement given by Dagur very carefully. Dagur had refused to reveal anymore information on the Grimborns' operation and vice versa. Hiccup was going to have to dig deep as hell to uncover the full story behind this one.

He looked over as his phone rang aloud, the tune of "Is Nowhere" by Mayday Parade bringing him from his thoughts. He walked over and took a peek at the caller idea, seeing a large red bearded image and the name 'Dad' on the screen. He reached over, allowing his hand to hover over the phone as he thought on his next move.

He swiftly picked up the phone, sliding the green button aside to answer it. "Hello?" He answered, getting a pause in return for a few seconds. Then the somewhat rough voice of Stoick Haddock came into his ears.

"Hello son. I um...I was just seeing how you've been doing in Dragon's Edge…" he says

Hiccup exhales slightly "I've been good dad..listen I'd love to talk but I-i'm at work right now…" . He brings a hand to his face, feeling slightly ashamed at the words he'd spoken- he hadn't lied but still felt horrible nonetheless.

No. He would not feel bad about this. "Maybe we'll talk later dad…" he says, not awaiting a response as he hung up the phone and tossed it back onto the desk where it had been.

The work day had carried on, boring and slow. No new breaks in the Drug Trade case or any case really. For once , Dragon's Edge was calm despite a few store robbery attempts that were thwarted by Windshear and some jaywalkers.

This kept Hiccup calm as he made his way throughout the day, focusing on the main case and solving a few others in the meantime. No random questionings, no true interruptions throughout the day.

As the night time arrived, Hiccup was making his way out of the building, most others having been gone save for those who were staying overnight. He waved goodbye to his fellows as they went to their respective vehicles and watched as Astrid and Ruff got into Ruffnut's car, taking off rather quickly.

He knew what was going on, the drug wouldn't continue to hold it back for that long. Meaning she'd need a higher dosage, which was highly unsuggested. He'd have to make another visit to her.

Hiccup slid into the driver's seat of his Midnight Blue 2017 Dodge Charger, starting it up and leaving the precinct rather quickly. Once he reached the apartment, he wastes no time heading to the Dragon's Den.

"Suit up time.." he says lowly as he stares at the case holding the Night Fury suit. Not even a full fifteen minutes later, the Night Fury was stalking the streets of Dragon's Edge once more. His masks lenses were changed to a blue function as he scanned over the electrical activity in the area. The main place he was looking was across the street- at Astrid's apartment.

The energy spikes had increased since last night, with this entire district losing power and regaining it about five times since Astrid had returned from work.

"She needs my help...I just wish she'd acknowledge that…"

The hero thought as he watched as his blue colored vision picked up something new- a mass of electrical energy shaped like a person.

Astrid had approached her window, watching as the moon abve cast a shadow onto her floor. She turned and was eye to eye with the caped vigilante, both simply staring at one another for a moment.

Night Fury made the first move, grappling his way over and perching himself onto the fire escape next to the window. "We need to talk…" he says as Astrid sighs.

"Yeah...we do…" she replies, holding her left arm and shamefully looking towards the floor as she then moved to open the window for him.

"Your powers-

"My sickness, has been getting too hard to handle." She says, cutting him off just before he finished his statement and staring at him. The blue in her eyes was brighter than usual, nearly glowing white around her pupils.

"I've noticed… the chemical isn't working the same, I know that much. If you continue to increase that dosage, you're gonna wind up slowing down, possibly even risking loss of motor function. " He says, his modulated voice coming across as cold even though he'd attempted to convey his concerns.

"I just need something more…"

"You need to control it, and don't let it control you. Which I imagine is hard, but I can help you better than any doctor."

"I've heard that before, it was a lie. I'm not going to allow myself to be taken into something like that again!" She said, turning and yelling at him.

The hero winced slightly and sighed "You can't live like this… and I'm not like any doctor, I'm not a doctor at all….. above all else, I'm not Doctor Mildew… I'm not allowing anything else like that to happen to you.."

Astrid paused for a moment,her blonde hair glimmering in the moonlight , each strand seemingly lifting upwards as the lights began to flicker. She moved about an inch ahead, slowly. Anger building within, she tightened her fists and tried her hardest to hold back the tears and ignore the memories.

But they flashed back more and more… she could see herself being tied to the table and shocked vigorously, a form of 'treatment' to activate the chemicals that had been pumped into her continuously.

She could feel each vein growing then dying down more and more, gorwing green then blue in a split second before returning to normal. The pain she felt then came back at her , hitting like a train.

Speaking through clenched teeth as the tears flowed down her cheeks, she spoke lowly. "How do you...how do you know about Mildew?" She asked as her eyes began to change, the color in them growing more vibrant until they shimmered with electrical energy.

"Astrid , I-"he began as she turned on her heel, launching a burst of energy towards him. The Night Fury lunged out of the way, allowing the blast to hit the rooftop across the way, tearing it slightly.

He turned towards her, taking a few steps out of the way on the fire escape as she walks over, stepping on to the fire escape. By now her hair had shot up, eyes now white as she glared at him. The energy flowed throughout her body, out of her hands and over her shoulders.

It burned through her shirt, burning off the sleeves. "Astrid I swear I only did this to protect you.." he started, staring at her and moving into a stance to shield himself in case of another blast.

"You...You BASTARD!!" she screamed at the top of her lungs as she launched another burst of energy at him, this time sending him flying over the railing and falling about 20 feet into the alley below. As he landed, he grunted heavily and looked upwards.

"Shit…" he said with a brief cough as he watched bits of smoke rising from his gauntlets- minicomputer now fried. "Dammit.." he commented as he rolled over slowly, getting up to his feet in pain.

"Shit that hurt.." he commented, while watching the fire escape carefully. Night Fury moved an arm over his stomach, holding his abdomen in pain as he coughed again.

"Still alive huh?!?!" He heard a feminine voice call as another burst approached. He lunged out of the way and rolled beside the dumpster nearby, in a kneeling stance now. "Astrid calm down!!" He shouted as the blonde jumped down, landing with a literal shockwave flying around.

Trash and more was sent flying, along with Night Fury. As he collided with the wall behind him, he looked up through the now damaged lenses of his mask. The green filter shut down, leaving the lenses now transparent.

As she approached, she stared into the emerald eyes that laid behind the mask, charging more energy into her palms. "I've wanted for so long to catch you...and now I've got you cornered.. I can finally take that damn mask off…" she said, reaching for the mask.

Hiccup's eyes widened as she approached, closing his eyes tightly as her hands grabbed onto the mask. As she did, the defense system in his suit kicked in, sending 20,000 volts of electricty into her body. Astrid's own eyes widened here, the new amount of energy overwhelming her as she had just begun to get used to it.

Her body shook as she found herself lurching back and passing out onto the ground, Hiccup standing up slowly and looking down at the ground. "...holy shit…" he says as he spits out a bit of blood and walks over to her.

 ** _(Casual transition)_**

Astrid's eyes opened slowly, very slowly. They looked immediately to the coffee table sitting nearby then darted towards the figure that sat in a chair across from it. She lept up quickly, reaching behind the pillow for something.

"It's not there." The semi modulated voice said- Night Fury's modulator having been damaged during the scuffle earlier in the night. Astrid could hear a glimpse of his true voice now, but the distortion in his damaged modulator still made it impossible to place.

She grunted in anger as she rose to her feet, soon finding herself falling back onto the couch behind her. "What did you do to me?!" She asked , screaming at the hero as he looked back at her. "My suit has, or had, a security measures installed. When you went to remove my mask, it kicked in and sent a large burst of electricity into you… at the time you were just beginning to truly use your abilities..from what I've deduced, it overloaded you."

Astrid could hardly believe what she'd just heard. "Overloaded? Like a damn battery?" She asked, looking up at him as he slid over a warm mug of coffee. She eyed it questioningly and watched as he sipped from a mug of his own- Both of which came from her kitchen.

She glared softly as she lifted the mug to her lips, pausing for a moment to wonder if she should trust this.

"Your powers- seem to work off emotion."

"Huh?" She asks, setting the mug down as he made this be known. "They work off emotion. When you were sad, they fluctuated.. when you were angry, they went wild. You went wild." His words cut slightly, especially as she recalled what had happened.

She narrowed her eyes at the man, nose turned up slightly. "You brought that upon yourself."

"I did what I needed to do to ensure your safety and the safety of those around you." He replies sharply, eyes cutting over to the then back down to the mug of coffee in his hand.

The woman groaned gently , locking her eyes onto him. "You had no right to go snooping around like that and Gods only know how you even managed to FIND any of that information!"

He listened as she complained, and soon clsoed his eyes whilst sitting the mug down. "Tell me...how would it have felt if your powers surged like that whilst on duty? What would happen then?" The woman grew silent as he asked this, looking down to her feet as he stood up.

"What if you'd been driving around with Ruff and boom, power surge causes a car wreck? What if you'd been with your family and boom, shockwave takes them out…" he turns to her, aggression livid within his emerald eyes as they lock onto her like a target.

"I'm a hero, I protect people and intervene when I feel the need. You need an intervention and you're too damn proud to admit it. Well I refuse to allow you to continue to potentially harm others and to harm yourself.."

He moved over to the window, sliding it open once again. "Parkway Alley, 3 o'clock PM- be there or so help me Thor I will find you.." he says, staring at her one last time before heading out. The cool Dragon's Edge breeze blew in as he left like a thief int he night.

Astrid sat there, staring down at the floor in deep thought on what to do now. She looked at the window, a mixture of emotions flowing throughout as she moved to close the window. When her hand approached, a small spark shot onto the latch and she quickly withdrew.

Astrid just stared, stared at the roof she'd seen him on earlier, now devoid of life but bearing a large crack and burn- one that she'd put there herself.

And she began to cry.

 ** _(Casual Transition)_**

Hiccup gave a deep sigh as he looked at the damage done throughout the night. His minicomputer in his gauntlet was burned out, he'd need to replace it and fix the material around it. Maybe build up something to help it resist shock.

As he took to removing the wires from within the cracked up and burned device, he grabbed an old iPhone 4s and began to replace the wiring inside. He then placed a plexiglass cover over it and began to install a software chip.

And just like that his new minicomputer was complete, not even a few seconds after turning it on- a signal came through. He almost smirked as he recognized it and tapped an answering icon, his voice automatically being modulated by the device.

"So you've made the right choice?" He asks as the voice on the other end sighs.

"Yeah...I need your help.." Astrid replies.

 ** _(Meanwhile….in Berk)_**

A constant shouting could be heard from behind a closed door. A body soon hit the door, crashing through it and sending wood splinters flying all about. A dark clothed figure stepped out of the room, staring down at the unconscious man who laid in a pile of wood chips.

He shook his head at him. "I'd say it was a pleasure but- honestly I'd be lying out my arse." The figure remarks as he raises a hand, a strange green energy flowing through his palms and bursting outwards- taking the man's head off.

"Sad...some people just need to pay their debts…. Speaking of which…" he looked at his phone, a familiar red haired figure appearing in a mugshot before his eyes.

"I've got to make my way to Dragon's Edge…"


	3. The Gauntlet

**_Berk-Three Years Ago_**

The multi-colored fluorescent lights of Berk's most popular club, "Viking's Axe" flashed about rapidly as a crowd of bodies freely danced around the white tiled dance floor, the floor itself featuring bright purple lights that mashed well with the pink and blue dotted lights that rained down onto the floor from the ceiling.

The air smelled of a heart mix of alcohol, expensive perfume, cheap cologne and even cheaper people. The atmosphere was live, a large area full of people all seeking to get out the stress of the past work week. Behind the crowds that danced around the floor and the lines that moved about the Bartender's area laid a row of tables and booths.

In one both sat a bright eyed figure, one whose finger loosely danced around the rim of a glass of tequila. He smirked as his eyes panned across the floor, locking onto a dark haired figure. He stood up, grabbing at his drink and making his way across the dance floor and to the bar, where he slyly slid into the seat next to her.

"Come here often?" He asks as the woman turns to him with a smirk of her own. "Just passing through." She says as she gives him a look over.

"You wanna get outta here? Have some real fun?" He asks as she looks down to her own drink, then back up to him. He wore a leather jacket over a nice blue button up shirt and some black jeans, she wore nothing more than a silver rhinestone studded dress with a gray leather jacket on.

"Thought you'd never ask." She replied as she began to leave the area with the Auburn haired figure. The two stepped outside of the club and headed over to a vehicle nearby- A black 1967 Corvette Stingray. The man clicked a button, unlocking the vehicle for the two of them to get in.

Not even thirty seconds passed before they are driving throughout the streets of Berk. "So...you gonna tell me why you're here?" He asks as she moves a strand of hair from over her eye, checking her make-up in a compact. "I'm an investigative journalist. Investigation is a big part of my job, Hic." Heather replies before snapping the compact shut and turning to Hiccup, who simply smirks.

"So what's the big scoop this time?" He asks as he rounds a corner sharply, driving into an alley. The alley seemed narrow in the night shade, but was more than spacious enough to fit the vehicle as it weaved it's way around another corner and turned , stopping at a garage. Hiccup looked at the dashboard of the vehicle and tapped it twice, a computer screen soon appearing. From there he inputted a code to open the garage they'd pulled up in front of.

After driving in and parking, both of them exited the vehicle with Hiccup locking it behind them. "Drug trafficking- mainly coming from these guys known as the Grimborns. I'm trying to get deeper detail on em… was gonna meet with one of their informants and try to get some info out of him, but the bastard took off from the club…" Heather says as the two of them go up a staircase leading to a small room.

The room was indeed small, nothing more than a metal desk with a computer set-up in the corner as soon as you open the door, a small bed in the back of the room with dark red sheets and two white pillows on top, and a door leading elsewhere about four feet from the desk.

Hiccup pulled out the chair behind the desk and began to do a quick search. "Grimborn...sounds familiar.." he says as Heather walks into the next room over, a light flickering on as she replied from inside. "It should, the Grimborn brothers were arrested years ago under drug charges but were let off the hook. I think they paid off the DA."

"Not surprising." Hiccup replied as he began to transfer digital copies of their criminal records and mugshots onto his minicomputer. He watched as Heather exited the room, dressed now in a nomex/Zylon reinforced black and dark gray suit.

"Stealth suit- forgot that's the only one you had here." He says as she slips the black hood over her head, her eyes showing clear as day as she pulled a black mask over her mouth and nose. "Concealment is key.." she replies as he nods and makes his way into the room.

He soon returned wearing the same outfit, looking over and giving a nod before rushing through the garage entrance nearby.

The garage was slightly different, housing Hiccup's car and three armored motorcycles beside it, all a dark red color. He rushed towards the nearest one, leaping over the top of his car and going into a tuck in mid-air then landing on the motorcycle.

He watched as Heather simply walked around and got on, rolling her eyes at him. "Show off much?'' she asks as he revs up his motorcycle, nodding and winking. "All the time." He replies as he takes off, the garage door opening in an instant.

Heather chuckled as she took off behind him. The two soon found themselves pulling up outside of a warehouse in the downtown Berk area, Hiccup removing his helmet and looking up as Heather did the same. "This is gonna be a quick job..' Hiccup says as the two head towards a ladder leading to the roof.

Inside were nothing but hired guns moving crates into shipping containers. Neither of the vigilantes could tell what they contained, but they made sure to check later on. Hiccup slid open a ventilation shaft and motioned to Heather to come over, watching as she slid down.

He then slid down behind her. The two slowed their descent into the vent shaft, dropping down slowly as they held onto the sides of the vent. Silence is always key- easy to keep silent with rubber boots soles.

The two made their way through the shaft slowly stopping as they reached another vent and peer down into the room below. Hiccup watched as the men continued their work, spotting a table carrying a disassembled M16 lying there. "Autos… either selling or buying em.." he says as Heather begins to open the panel.

"Alright...let's take em out nice and quick." She says, Hiccup giving a nod off approval. And with that, they dropped down and got to work.

The first wave of men was easy, twelve guys with automatic weapons aimed to kill. Simple misdirection led to about two fire extinguishers getting burst open and a cloud of fog clouding everyone's vision. Hiccup and Heather watched as the room became more visible, about four more men appeared from a pair of double doors near the back of the warehouse. Each one carrying some type of mechanized gauntlets- large and seemingly ready to do some work.

The gauntlets glowed a bright blue and they all shot off, firing bursts of energy at the heroes who swiftly lept out of the way. Hiccup looked at the crater left in their place then at the men. "The fuck?!?" he shouted as he looked around the area for a weapon to combat them with.

Heather launched herself into the corner nearby, grabbing at a broom and breaking the handle in half over her knee. In a sharp and nearly unseen turning motion , she launched one of the broke ends at one of the men, hitting him into the center of his head just as he went to charge another attack. This caused his to lurch back, firing a burst of energy into the ceiling above them.

The ceiling shook slightly as small debris rained down around the men, hitting them and bringing them to the ground. Hiccup nodded as he saw this. "Risky, but it worked out well." He says as he rushed over to the men, carefully removing one of their gauntlets to inspect them closely.

"This is….this is definitely something new…" he says as the gauntlet begins to glow blue once again- then stops. The color fades and a computerized voice speaks "Scanning For User…..User down….User has Failed…"

"...what?" He wondered as Heather had begun to approach, her eyes narrowing as she locked onto the gauntlets. They had begun to flash red. Her eyes then widened as she grabbed Hiccup and turned, leaping over the railing behind them and causing them both to land on the ground below just as the gauntlets exploded- the men's body's being destroyed in the collective blast.

He looked over at this, the explosion alone was enough to leave him shaken. But those men were dead now….and all because he'd tampered with their gear. Hiccup rushed to his feet, moving towards the area. As he made his way over, he found himself coming to a nearly immediate stop as he took in the sight before him.

Nothing left but a large ball of flames and four skeletons- the men had been incinerated. Hiccup stood there, eyes wide and mouth dropped nearly to the floor as Heather approached him.

"I….I….oh my Thor….what did I do…." He muttered as he approached the flames, the smoke arising to the ceiling and setting off the smoke detectors and sprinklers. As the water rained down, the flames soon died out.

Not too long until there was nothing left but the burned- nearly ashified- skeletons of the men. Hiccup almost vomited behind his mask as he looked at this, Heather placing a hand onto his shoulder in support. "Don't to dare blame yourself…." She said, hugging her friend.

But Hiccup was stuck- unable to move and internally, unable to move on as he continued to stare into one of the blackened skulls that laid before him. It seemed the more he wished to look away, the less he could move to do so….this image had burned it's way into his mind..

 **(Parkway Alley…..now)**

Night Fury stood on a rooftop, staring down into the alleyway below. The scent of Chinese food from the restaurant across the street was more than strong enough to spread throughout, especially with his senses. His ears perked up beneath his mask, turning towards the entrance of the alley and watching as the blonde haired officer made her entry- dressed in a blue and white Nike tracksuit and some white and yellow track shoes.

He popped an eggroll into his mouth, swiftly chewing and swallowing the food before jumping off of the roof and landing on the dumpster a few feet away. He looked as she jumped back in shock staring at him like he was a madman. "Why?!" She asked as he slid off of the dumpster, looking at the dent left behind for a split second, then over at her.

He simply gave a shrug in response. Astrid sighed "This is gonna be a long day, I can tell…." She said as she pinched the bridge of her nose. Night Fury simply chuckled "Probably" he said, his voice modulator sounding brand new. Astrid noted that his masks lenses had also been repaired, the lenses glowing green once again.

"Alright…. First Lesson in control- getting to know your abilities." He says as he turns, walking down the alley. Astrid stood there for a moment, eyebrow raised as she questioned what to do next. She decided it be best to follow the vigilante, which felt odd given it was still daylight out.

She watched as he walked over to a garage door and inputted a code into the door, the door sliding upwards to let the two enter. "What the-" she began as she walked in behind him, looking around the area and finding what looked to be a bunker full of supplies, a training area full of dummies and a mat, a workout area with several racks carrying different weights and a bench press alongside a leg press, and a computer set-up nearby.

"This is one of Thu- my...safehouses." he says, looking over at her as the door slid shut swiftly behind him. "This is where we'll start our lesson… now then- like I said earlier." He begins as he moves down the stairs, hands moving to his neck as small metallic clicks could be heard. Soon his cap dropped down onto the floor behind him, and he walked over to the training area.

"You need to get to know your abilities… now when I first started doing this stuff, I was about ten years old. It took a while for all the information to sink in but at the same time, it was easy." He said, Astrid nodding as she listened- and soon rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, so real quick.. what the hell even is your ability? Cause all I've seen is stalking, beating people, surviving two story falls and being a dick." She says, tapping her left foot against the floor in a most impatient manner.

"Right...not many people know. I have enhanced senses, can hear and smell a good distance away- along with that my body is more...built for action so to speak? I have strong ligaments and muscle structure that can take certain amounts of damage and soon heal severe wounds...like if I were to get shot in the stomach- I remove the bullet and the organs would heal after about two hours. There be a bruise left over but ya know…"

He began, moving over to the computer nearby and logging in. He brought up what seemed to be an x-ray of a broken leg, which Astrid simply scratched her head at. "This is from when I broke my leg when I was ten. And this…" he said clicking to a new image- another x-ray of a perfectly healed leg. "This is from about an hour later.."

Astrid's eyes widened, then returned to normal as she took in this new information. {So that's how he survived….} She thought as flashes of the previous night played on throughout her head- the shattered lenses of his mask and the piercing eyes that stood behind them glaring at her, having taken a fall that would end a normal man's life with ease.

"I also have a bit of enhanced strength and enhanced reflexes. My main thing seems to be my endurance and agility… I'm basically one of those super soldier types..bit of a photographic memory... But my dad, Thunderdrum...he's waaay different. Thunderdrum has the strength to shake buildings. I wasn't that lucky...managed to get some of that strength for myself but barely enough to rival him." he says, a small smile creeping upon his face as he stares off into the floor.

The smile had faded away about as quickly as it had formed and he cleared his throat. "All of those don't seem like something that needs control, but my senses took a good bit of training to get used to. The same can be said in your case."

"You um….you seem to speak highly of Thunderdrum despite your...separati-"

"Don't...don't take that as speaking highly….I have no choice but to respect him, he's been in this for way longer and trained me…..it's all a matter of if he trained me right...I personally don't think so." He replies, cutting her off as he walks towards her.

"Now let's focus on control." He turns, pointing halfway across the room. "Hit that dummy in the chest, specifically in the chest."

"But I don't know how to use-"

"You will learn… now to help get you started, I wanna go based off of what I saw, and felt thank you very much, last night. Think angry thoughts. Pure anger should course through your mind…" he starts, walking around her and watching as she closed her eyes.

"What makes you angry? Is it the criminals of this city, tearing apart the place you call home? Is it the corrupt justice system, some of your own co-workers running with the low down and dirty?"

He stopped walking, and stood directly in front of her at that point. "Or is it me? A hero stepping into your turf and cleaning up the streets that you pledged yourself to cleaning? Does that just tear at your ego? That I, some random dude in a suit has set out to do your job better than you?!" At this point he was virtually shouting at Astrid, her eeys clenched shut as her body shook slightly.

"SHUT UP!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, firing a bolt of electrical energy towards Night Fury, who easily and swiftly slid beneath it, turning his chin upwards to watch where it hit.

The bolt hit the test dummy dead in the chest, burning a hole all the way through it. He lunged to his feet and looked over at it. "Damn….seems I was right all along."

Astrid chuckled at the damage she'd done. "I did that! Yes!" She said happily as Night Fury turned towards her. "You've got some control...it's emotion based. Let's see if we can make it more easy to use."

"What are you saying?" She asked, arms dropping to her sides now as he walked around her again. "I'm saying- we need to get your powers to work without an emotional trigger. We need to get you to full control."

Astrid's eyes twitched slightly as she heard this. This was gonna be a long day.

 ** _(Casual Transition)_**

Night Fury spun on his heel and swung the opposing end of his metal bo staff at Astrid's head, watching as the woman swiftly ducked below it and sent a hit at his left inner thigh using a wooden box staff he'd given her. He swiftly thrusts his arm back and his staff downwards to block it before slamming it upwards to throw off her guard.

With the guard turn he goes into a backwards spin, aiming the staff for the side of her neck. She responds to the attack with another block and moves to kick him in the back, easily avoided with him tumbling forwards into a kneeling position and cracking her right leg with his staff, sweeping the leg and bringing her to the floor.

"You're fairly good weapon wise. Needs more work though.." he says as he goes to his feet, offering a hand to help her up. She looks at his hand slaps it aside before pushing herself off of the ground. " How is THIS helping me with controlling my powers?!'' she shouted at him as he stood aside, both hands on the top of the staff which now stood in front of him.

"Bojitsu takes complete control of every part of your body. Everything must move and work in synch to perfect the art. The same can be said for using your powers. Everything in synch. I'm trying to segue into that through this...but I don't think it's working well…"

"Yeah, no shit Sherlock.." she replies as she tosses the bo staff aside and glares at him, arms folded across her chest in anger. "Best course of action is the emotional spectrum thing again.." he says as he collapses his own staff and sets it down on a rack nearby.

He walks past her and over to the testing area once again. "Hit the dummies, doesn't matter where. Just hit them. Use that anger again, same as usual and you'll be fine." With that being said, he turned to walk away

"Wait that's it?!? Just get angry?? You're not gonna say or do anything else to help??" She asked as he stopped and looked at her. "I've done what I can.." he says with a shrug as he walks away, heading to the workout area.

Astrid's eyes twitched as she heard this, then turned to the dummies. She sighed as she focused on her angriest memories. Flashes of everything she truly hated went throughout her mind as she did so.

As she opened her eyes, she found the energy had formed in her hands. She chuckled slightly as she sent it flying at the dummies- the burst from her left hand hitting one in the head and the other hitting the floor behind it.

"Dammit!"

Her shouts didn't go unheard. Night Fury had looked over into the area, watching momentarily before returning to his workout. He'd set up the bench press with 1,000 pounds of weight on both sides, and laid back as he prepared to bench a literal ton.

After doing about twenty repetitions, he set the weights back onto the proper rack and stood up, heading to the punching bag nearby. He slammed his fist into the oddly shaped bag, hearing a loud crunch. The punching bag had been filled with rocks- a Thunderdrum training style.

He sighed as he began to beat the bag heavily, stopping every few minutes to listen to the curses of Astrid in the background. He chuckled to himself slightly as he rounded the corner into the training area, watching her disintegrate the dummies even further.

He surveyed the surrounding area, seeing the damage she'd done outside of those, biting the inside of his mouth gently as he looked at each burn. "You hit the dummy a good bit."

"I did good enough…" she replied as he finally made his way over.

"Good enough isn't always enough. You have to aim, focus solely on your target, make sure the surrounding area is safe." He says, looking at the dummy which had been burned down to the metal stake it had been on.

"It's just a bit of outside damage"

"And it's too much!!" He shouted at her finally, turning to fully face her. "You hit...the target. No one else should have to get hit… nothing else.."

With that, the lesson for the day was to carry-on...until his computer blared with a loud alarm. He looked over at it, rushing over to check out the situation.

"Heist at The Edge Credit Union.'' he taps the computer, pinpointing the location as he rushed over, picking up his cape and reattaching it to his suit before hopping onto his motorcycle.

"...so do I ride on the back of that or…"

"No, you stay here, you practice. I got the bank." He says, revving up the engine. Astrid looks on, anger building once more. "I'm still a cop ya know."

"For now, your main focus is control. The bank heist is mine." He looked at the computer once again, seeing the video footage from the bank and noting the weapons being used. He'd seen before years ago.

He sped off from the safehouse, a back entrance opening for him as he did so. Astrid huffed as he left, her eyes panning over to a few glass cases containing some suits- landing on a black hooded suit with a half face mask in one.

She smirked at it.

 ** _(Casual Transition)_**

Night Fury positioned himself on the roof, peering into the Union from a skylight and watching as several masked men moved around the area. He noted they used power gauntlets, same as the ones he'd seen three years ago.

Flashes of that same night played throughout his head as he watched them, but he shut the memories out and slid open a panel in the skylight, dropping down into the center of the room.

"Stealth approach isn't gonna cut it here." He'd decided as he looked at the men, each one looking at him and then turning their gauntlets on him.

He lunged behind a large stone pillar to his left, drawing three of his V shaped shuriken and throwing them outwards into the center of the room.

The shuriken released a high pitched shriek, the same one he used in his suit to alert of his presence. The shriek increased in tone, bringing all five men in the area to their knees in pain.

He lept out, the sound being dulled to his ears as he lept towards one of them, slamming the end of his bo staff into the back panel of his gauntlet and sending a large electric charge into it to override it.

He then punched the man into an unconscious state . "Not happening again." He said with a smirk as he looked at the friend technology, then turned to the other men who were stumbling to their feet.

The shriek of the Night Fury had ceased. The men opened fire, bursts of energy flying the hero's way as he went into a swift sideways spinning motion to weave through them all.

As he came to his feet, he smirked once again before retracting his bo staff to a length of 3 feet and throwing it outwards at a 45 angle , hitting one of them in the head just as he moved to fire again.

The staff bounded back, as the other men fired at him again. The staff landed in his hand and expanded again, just as he lunged out of the way. "Now then, let's really test this out." He says as the staff expands in his hands to it's full 6 foot extension. He slides his thumb down the side, triggering a new reaction which caused two large panels to burst from the sides of the staff. "Riot shield!!" He shouted happily as the men fired again.

The bursts were blocked, but the shield dented and he was forced back slightly. He noted that the bursts had been sent elsewhere in the process.

{Reflection...good..} he thought as he rushed at them again, stopping to put up the shield again and refract a blast to another man, hitting him in the chest and sending him flying back. The groans of pain from his landing reassured him that the blasts were still just as weak as before.

He looked at the last two men and threw out another shuriken, hitting the center of one of the gauntlets as he did so. This jammed the device long enough for him to rush over and shoulder check him to the floor. As he went to deliver the final blow, the last man fired off at him.

He turned on his hell, riot shield halfway up and was sent onto his back. As he recovered from it, he looked at the two men as they lurked over him, gauntlets whirring with a charging sound and set on him.

"Well shit." He said as he brought up the riot shield again, taking the full force of the four blasts up close.

The shield was burned apart, staff part was damaged as well and wouldn't retract anymore. Night Fury himself was hit aswell, groaning as he attempted to move to his feet.

The men chuckled at his state. "Man you're slow huh?" One of them asked as the other checked his damaged gauntlet , ready to attack again. "Ya know maybe you shouldn't work alone little dragon. Better to have back up."

"He does." A feminine voice says, the men turning to see a blonde haired, blue eyed figure dressed in black standing about thirty feet away.

Astrid had arrived, dressed in the same stealth suit once worn by Heather, half face mask pulled over her mouth and nose to disclose her identity. "Step back from the weirdo."

"Alright to be fair, you look pretty weird yourself." One of the men noted as Astrid took a step forward.

She nodded slightly to the right. "That's fair.." she said before bringing her hands together and creating a shockwave to send the two men flying back. The wave ripped across the building, shaking a few pillars slightly and causing dust to fall from the ceiling.

As the men hit the floor, Night Fury rose to his feet and smirked. "You did it…" he said, looking behind him at the downed men.

Astrid giggled at that.

 ** _(Back at the Safehouse)_**

"These guys were working with pieces of technology stolen from Dragontech, a subdivision off Haddock Technology." Night Fury began, as he observed the now disassembled gauntlet that sat on s table in front of him.

"Haddock Technology? My friend Hiccup is the son of the CEO. Maybe I could ask if he knows anything." Astrid suggested, still wearing the stealth suit.

"He might" he replies, turning around in the rolling chair he'd been sitting in. He looked over at her. "So...you got control. This calls for celebration." He says as he walks over to a fridge in the corner, picking up two beers and handing one to her.

She smiled as she held it and popped it open, looking at the bottle for a moment before looking at him. "I'm...sorry." she said

He raised an eyebrow beneath his mask at this whilst drinking. "For?" He asked.

"Everything. The arguing….the threats. Trying to arrest you. I just..never trusted vigilantes. But seeing the things you do. And why you do them, not to mention how your lives are constantly on the line. It kinda knocked some sense into me there.."

"Astrid…" he began with a smile. "You wanna be a superhero don't ya?''

She faked a look of shock "Who , me? I mean. I could make it work. And I look amazing in this suit.. but."

"But nothing..you wanna do it.." he says as he goes to the computer, bringing up a bioscan of her body. "Bio-electrical Storm Manipulation.." he said, causing her to walk over.

"That's my power?" She asked as he nodded. "Cool…"

"You got control...maybe with more training you can get a hell of a lot further….but for one thing, blacks kinda my theme."

"Oh please, I was gonna take this suit and paint it either ways.." she replied

"And another thing...you'll need a cool name.."

Astrid paused for a moment, turning to look at the computer again. She read over the official term for her ability once again and smiled. "Stormfly." She said.

"Stormfly? We don't even know if you can fl-"

"Oh I can.. or at least I think...it should be easy...right?" she asked, feeling as confident as ever before.

Night Fury merely nodded and lifted his bottle "Well...here's to Stormfly."


	4. The Mask

**Berk- Fourteen Years Ago**

A large figure stood atop a Berk rooftop, glaring down into the dark city below. This figure had dedicated his life , wealth and body to protecting his city. With a roaring thunderclap, he hit the scene of any crime and shut it down with the strength of God's.

This was the shape of Thunderdrum. And on his shoulder, a ten year old Auburn haired boy clung to his form, staring out alongside him. The emerald eyed child looked at the large figure, his dark green Viking like helmet covering his eyes and head, leaving his chin exposed and his trimmed down beard (had to trim it, sorry) shown.

"See this son….this is what we fight for.." Thunderdrum spoke in a voice that echoed like thunder. He looked to the small form, who was dressed in a black, dark blue and red suit of his own design. His emerald eyes were shielded by plexiglass eyes that showed a green tint.

"This is Berk… a freezing cold hell hole. And our home." He carried on as the young lad looked on in astonishment at the city. The lights of the buildings guided his way it seemed. "One day, if you're ready, this will be yours to defend in your own…" he says, the young Hiccup nodding quickly.

"Dad...this is scary…" he says, receiving a hearty laugh in return. "The world is always going to be scary son….so sometimes you have to be seen scarier." He says as he looks down. "Hold on tight now."

With that, the sound of his large feet leaping from the roof could be overheard, as he landed on a building below and lunged once more, landing in an alley.

"We will find most of our work in alleyways." He says, watching as a now startled man drops a gun to the ground, a woman behind him scooting away on the ground.

"Robbery….sad." he said as he set the young lad down in the dumpster nearby and nodded "Watch carefully." He says as he turns to the would-be robber.

"Hey hey hey, no no no!!" The man shouted as he backed away, Thunderdrum clapping his hands together and creating a shockwave to send him flying back.

The small Hiccup looked on in astonishment at this, smiling slightly as he watched his father proceed to carry the man out of the alley and toss him down for the police to pick up. "Too easy right son?" He asked as he walked over to the boy, stopping him up into his arms once again.

"Too easy dad!" The boy said happily , getting another laugh from the man.

They spent most of that night, taking down the petty criminals of Berk and laughing along the way. The father and son had grown closer this night, despite all the worst factors of Berk attempting to take ahold of them p. They say, perched upon the edge of a rooftop eating donuts and looking into the city.

"This is our home son...and as such, it's our responsibility to protect it as best we can.. you think you can do that?" He asks the boy, who eagerly nods his head and smiles while taking a bite of a donut.

Thunderdrum laughs heartily ''I love the enthusiasm lad.." he replies, eating two of the donuts at once.

"Now then, you've got your uniform. Got your powers and weapon. What's your name son?" He asked the lady, a glimmer of hope shimmering in his emerald eyes.

"...Night Fury."

 **(Dragon's Edge- Now)**

A brown 2006 sedan came to an abrupt stop in front of a bank about three miles from the DEPD building. Three man ran outside carrying duffel bags full of money, signalling the driver who pushed open the passenger side door.

One of them launched his duffel into the vehicle and hopped in as the other two took to the backseats.

"Easy money boys!!" The driver shouted as he sped off at full speed, the sounds of sirens coming behind them.

"This is Officer Thorston, I'm on the trail of the rob- YES! I'm the female! Do I sound like a man to you?!?" Ruffnut shouted into her radio angrily, yet another dispatcher mistaking her for her brother.

She sighed as she looked at the empty seat next to her. "I wish she was here…" she said in reference to her best friend who had taken leave for three weeks.

She looked on as she whipped her patrol car around a corner and sped up to keep pace with the robbers up ahead.

"She's on our ass!"

"She's not the only one!'' a voice called out as a dark image landed on the hood of the car. The men screamed as Night Fury gave them a smile and a wave, before knocking on the driver's window and motioning him to roll it down.

The driver refused to comply and soon found a gloved fist crashing through the window and into the side of his head, knocking him unconscious. The Night Fury hung along the side of the car now. "All ya had to do, was roll down the damn window." He complains to the unconscious driver as the other men move to draw out their guns.

"Those are conductors. That's not good for you guys." He comments, leaving them bewildered. Their confusion is answered once a wave of electricity surges through the vehicle and through their guns, shocking them- Night Fury grappling away a split second before it hit him.

The electricity also shut down the engine, causing the vehicle to slow to a stop in the middle of the street.

Night Fury jumped to the ground and looked over with a thumbs up as a blonde haired figure appeared, eyes completely white and the stealth suit she'd 'borrowed' now painted a gold and blue color scheme.

"Good job Stormfly." He commented. A smile grazed her features as she seemingly hovered above the ground, bursts of electricity shooting from her hands to allow this.

"And I guess you were right about flying..'' he says as he watches this. She then shakes her head. "Nope, this is taking a lotta power to do right now so…" she then landed, having been only about three feet off the ground in general.

"Gonna need to work on that one." he comments as he watches her.

The squad car pulled to a swift stop, with the blonde haired officer bursting from behind the wheel, gun drawn and aimed at the men in the car. Ruffnut approached them cautiously, watching Night Fury and Stormfly with eyes wide.

"Oh no way!!! A new hero?!? And it's a chick?! Finally!" She said with a wicked smile as she gave Stormfly a once over. Stormfly's eyes remained white, something she'd mainly been focusing on controlling in the time they'd been training together.

"I'm Stormfly." She says, offering a hand to Ruffnut who took it without a second thought. "Awesome!! So are you two like….together?" She asked, eying both her and Night Fury, who awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck.

"This is just a partnership." He replies, bringing another smile to the female officer's face as she rushed to his side, grabbing his left arm and caressing it. "So...you're single then. Ever thought of dating a cop?" She asked, giving a wink as Night Fury's cheeks lit up red.

"Um...yes but also I don't think they'd be uh, good for image?" He responded, not truly knowing what to say or even do in the situation. Stormfly merely watched the two of them, chuckling to herself.

As the three conversed, and soon moved to properly arrest the bank robbers, a figure stalked them from a rooftop- a half faced gas mask of sorts upon the lower half of his face with a pair of black and dark green tinted goggles upon his eyes, a black leather overcoat covering black plated kevlar suit beneath.

Dark brown hair shown from his head, waving gently in the wind as he watched the group. "So….this might be a problem." He comments to himself as he turns and exits the rooftop- not before Night Fury catches a glimpse of him as he leaves.

"What the…"

 **(At the Safefouse)**

Astrid pulled her hood over her head, her eyes dimming down to their original shade of blue as she pulled down the mask from over her mouth and nose as well. She took a seat in a rolling chair next to Night Fury's computer and watched as the hero contemplated something in front of the computer. From the glimpse she'd given the screen, he was watching footage of the robbery earlier- which they'd thwarted.

"Do you always do this?" She asks, causing Night Fury to look to her in slight confusion. "Always go over closed crime scenes like this?" She explained, spinning in the chair as she looked up to him.

"Usually, no. But there was someone watching us earlier, and I'm gonna try to figure out who, if possible." He says, pausing the street camera footage and zooming in as closely as he can on the masked figure that had been on the rooftop.

Astrid's eyes narrowed gently as she leaned towards the computer, staring at the mask and the goggles. "I've seen someone like him before...but I ...I can't recall w-" she paused abruptly, her eyes widening as memories began to flash throughout her mind.

Images of a gloved hand reaching out and grabbing her by her hair, pulling her back and throwing her into a glass chamber. She watched in horror as the figure entered the chamber, locking it behind himself. The Goggles and Gas Mask stood out most , as the chamber filled up with a thick white cloud of gas.

That was all she could see , all she could recall before everything went black. Astrid gasped and launched to her feet, hands slamming into the table holding the computer. "He was one of them...he worked with the people that did this to me!!"

Night Fury whipped around, facing her almost immediately. The words registered in his mind very quickly and he formed up a simple question. "What did he do for them?"

She shook her head in anger as she stared at the image. "He was a sort of enforcer...and trainer.."

"Trainer?" He asked, taken slightly aback by the answer. It didn't make any sense to him- she'd went to them for healing not any sort of training.

"Yes...after everything they did to me, the 'treatment' they gave me.. they made it seem like a disappearance, held me there for months trying to train me as their little weapon." She replied, eyes locked onto the image.

"What?"

"They took people, kids, teens alike- and promised them healing, ya know...help for illnesses and injuries.. and they experimented on them. It was all a front, a ruse for them to kidnap Innocents and ruin their lives!! Some of them died in there! Some of them….some of them lost themselves and were made into their slaves. And he- he was in charge of training all of them...prepping them for imminent war." Her look had changed slightly, hardening even further as she turned to face Night Fury.

"I haven't seen that man in years, but recognize that mask all too well…. We need to find him , and find out what the Hel he's doing in Dragon's Edge…"

He could feel it- the emotion behind every word that spewed from her mouth. He watched as she gritted her teeth in frustration, trying to keep herself calm given the current circumstances. And he couldn't blame her if she lost it- she had every right to considering what they'd just found. He placed a supportive hand onto her shoulder "We'll find him...and make sure he and the other people who did this pay for it..''

 **(Industrial District- Shutdown Factory)**

The masked figure that had been stalking the streets of Dragon's Edge wandered into the seemingly empty building. The lights were off- that was to be expected. The various machines used by workers before it's closure stood idle. The man walked over to a forklift nearby, placing a hand onto the side of it and emitting a green energy from his hand. The forklift began to jolt to life then, exploded. As it did this, the man smiled a sick grin that was covered by his mask.

"Still good...gotta find Dagur fast though. Sooner I complete this task the sooner I'll get my upgrade." He says in a slight British accent as he begins to leave the factory. As he steps outside, he checks his tracker- seeing Dagur's location still being marked down as the DEPD building.

"I'll need to make haste with this one... hopefully that little hero problem won't be much of a bother here."

"That's what you think pal." A feminine voice sounded off from above. The figure turned, looking upwards as Windshear descended from the roof above and landed about five feet away. She drew up quickly, three white feather cut blade being held in her left hand. She glared over at the man, her light blue lit mask locked dead onto him.

"Gas mask...weird goggles...green energy powers...You're the creep that's been killing people across the US." She says , ready to launch her weapons at any given moment.

"And you're the psychopathic heroine of Dragon's Edge, Windshear. Weird that you use such harsh means - i.e. the knives, to deliver justice."

She gave a shrug "I believe in teaching scum a lesson they'll never forget." The blades were launched outwards, aimed directly at his armored chest. She knew that with the force thrown, they'd Pierce deep enough to just barely graze bone- and not do any fatal damage.

That's if they hit. Which they didn't. The blades hit the ground in a mass of black metal , melting across the sidewalk. "Neat trick.." the man says, clapping his hands together and slowly building up energy in between them.

Windshear growled lowly as she cartwheeled aside, avoiding the burst of energy that was sent her way by a hair. She landed in a kneeling stance and fired her razorwhip at the man's left arm, breaking through his gauntlet and hitting his forearm.

He gasped gently as he felt the pain strike him and grabbed onto the metallic rope that held the blade , swinging with enough Force to send Windshear flying into the brick wall nearby. As she hit the wall, she thrust her legs outwards to brace herself and reboundeded off of it, rolling onto the ground and jerking the rope back towards her- bringing him along with it.

He hit the ground with a thud as she stood up and retracted the bladed weapon into her gauntlet. She chuckled as she took up a fighting stance- left arm brought above her temple to block and right arm brought near her mid riff- fist out to strike.

"You should really just make this easier on yourself Windshear…" he comments as he stands up, his bleeding forearm going ignored for the time being. "You don't want this problem…" he said, moving into a stance of his own.

The two stood there for a moment, before either one made a move. Windshear launched herself forward, going into a slide on the ground in an attempt to sweep his legs from beneath him. As she did this, he lept upwards and launched a burst of energy her way- she rolled out of it's way and lept towards him, tackling him to the ground and delivering three swift punches to his face.

He grabbed her fist as she went for a fourth hit, then grabbed at her opposing wrist to bring his head up, driving it into her nose. Once he saw it begin to bleed, he lifted her up by her forearms and slammed her down into the sidewalk- a grunt of pain escaping her lips as he did so.

He released her then, aiming both hands at her face and charging up the energy needed to complete the task at hand. "Sorry love, nothing personal." He stated.

She chuckled. "I suppose I should say the same then." She replied as a sharp beeping sound drew his attention. He turned , looking at his left arm and finding a metallic disk with a red light in the center of it on his arm.

"What the.." he said, being cut off as several volts of electricity surged throughout his body and brought him to his knees. He sunk down slowly, the pain slowly overcoming him. "H-how?!?!" He asked as he looked up at her.

She have a shrug "Did it when I tackled you.." was her response. The last thing he saw was her boot soaring towards his face before everything went black.

When he finally woke up, he found himself staring at three blurry figures. He listened as modified voices chattered amongst one another, before finally noticing him.

"He's awake.." the male in the group stated as he approached. The sight of lit up green lenses was more than enough confirmation of the situation. She'd brought him to her friends- great.

"Your names Eret Eretson right?" Night Fury asked the dark haired man, who soon realised his mask and goggles were gone, leaving his face exposed. "Yes...please give me back my mask.." he said, shaking slightly as his head whipped around, searching the room for the items.

"Yeah, that'd be a no. You've already been revealed, what more could you need it for?" Stormfly asked as she held the mask in one hand and ran her fingers over the goggles that sat on the table behind her.

"I need them…. desperately.. I'm not sure you'd understand..but if you could return those that would be lovely." He replied, trying to remain calm, but his eyes darting over frantically.

"How bout this? You tell us what we want to know and we'll consider it. Let you wear em until you get to your cell." Windshear said, arms crossed across her chest as she glared at the man.

Eret chuckled, noticing the blood had been wiped away from her nose. "How's the nose doing?" He asks as she walks towards him. "Just lovely...how's yours?'

He lifted an eyebrow at this. "Perfectly fi-" a swift blow to the nose shut him up, his nose instantly ran red and he let out a groan of pain. "What the bloody hell?!? Ah, God I think you damn near broke it!!" She shouts as Night Fury drags Windshear away from the man.

"You'll have to excuse Windshear..she's not as...gentle with criminals as I am.."

"Gentle?! You've broken people's bones before!!" Eret replies in anger as blood behind to pour into his mouth from his nose.

Night Fury simply nods and gives a wicked smile "My point exactly…"

He swiftly launched a leg towards Eret's left leg, delivering a kick that slightly fractured his shin. "Holy shit!" Eret shouted as he glared daggers at Night Fury.

"You have just dug yourself into a hole pal! A hole! When Drago gets ahold of you idiots you're all done for!"

"Drago?!?" Stormfly asked, eyes glowing brighter as she approached him now. Eret looked at her I'm surprise, but his face lightened up softly as he saw the Sparks emanating from her hands. "Miss Hofferson…how have you been?" He asks as she grabs ahold of his chin.

"I've been a wreck...trying to put myself back together after you people broke me!! I thought I'd taken your little group out...but I guess I was wrong." She comments as electricity slowly behind to surge through her fingertips and into his head.

He grits his teeth and grunts heavily "P-please!'' he began as she does this..

"You...you're asking for mercy from me?!?" She asks, increasing the current slowly and steadily. "I'm going to try your brain and make your eyeballs pop form your skull.." she stated , staring into his eyes as they filled with fear.

"Astrid please!"

"Astrid that's enough!" Windshear called over as Night Fury gripped her hand, drawing she away from the bound man , whose head slumped downwards as she let go.

He let out a wild cough as he stared at the floor. "Can I please just have my mask? It's all I care about right now...I'll tell you whatever, just give the mask back!" He soon shouts, Night Fury pausing.

"Why is this.." he picks up the mask, which only covered the lower half of his face. "So important?" He asks.

Eret sighs deeply and looks up at him, turning his face ever so slightly to allow the light to shine upon the right side of his face. Night Fury moved closer, inspect it and finding nothing more than a scar, about an inch and a half long, going across his chin and to his bottom lip.

"Because I look like a monster without it….I'm...ugly…" Eret turned his attention to the floor once again, a tear escaping from his eyes. "You look normal to me.." Night Fury states as the dark haired man shakes his head.

"I'm a monster...it's all I've ever been. All my life I've been a product of filth… from the day of my birth to the day I joined those people...I've been nothing more than a monster." He looks up to them now "And I'm trying to atone for that… by first getting free of Drago…"

Astrid scoffed at that. "You? Their little trainer, atoning for his sins? You're garbage. You are indeed a monster.."

"And you're going around murdering people now." Windshear notes, a finger raised in notion.

"Those people I killed were hardened criminals, murderers, rapists...the lowest. I'm doing the world a favor by ridding it of them.. Astrid I know I did horrid things to people, but not worst than what the actual scientists had been doing...I'm doing my best to make up for to to all of you.." Eret states, looking over to Astrid now.

Night Fury looked to him then Astrid, who turned away, and began to walk off. He looked at Eret once more. "Why are you in Dragon's Edge?" He asked as the man continued to shake I'm his chair. " A better question would be, why are my abilities somehow cut off?"

"I injected you with something to shut them out temporarily. The chains around you are just for added measure. Now answer my question. Why the Edge?" He replies and instantly offers a rebuttal.

"I'm sure to scratch off the next name on my list. Dagur Brzak, murderer, drug Lord, weapons dealer. Gotta start somewhere right?" He asks, Windshear gasping behind Night Fury.

"Dagur is already in prison, there's no need to kill him!!" She shouts as Night Fury brings an arm up to keep her back. "She's right." He says as Eret smirks.

"He's scum...most of the bastards in there are. I get to him, I can wipe him off and get names of some more people in need of my little brand of enlightenment…"

"You don't need to do that.." Night Fury says as he brings his arm down. "Just ...turn yourself in or something.. taking care of the criminal element is our job, we don't need you spilling blood when not needed."

"Your system is idiotic! " Eret spits back at him , anger building up inside now. "You fight them, you jail them, they escape and it just REPEATS!! I'm doing the right thing, and taking them out before they can do anymore damage! Before-" he stops, calming himself down.

"Before another person like me comes along… helping to torture Innocents and ruin lives...I don't want to let that happen again, to anyone.." he states, a genuine look of sadness upon his face as he looks at the heroes.

Windshear felt her rage begin to subside as Night Fury merely looked the man in the eyes. "Then…..then join us.." he says, shocking both Windshear and Astrid who had just returned to the conversation.

"What?!?!" The blonde shouted in shock as she heard this, Night Fury whipping his head around to face her. "We could use him I'm our war on crime… and in finding this Drago fellow and assuring that whatever group he runs is shut down."

He looks at Eret again "But once we're done there, he goes to a cell…"

Eret merely blinks, shrugging as best he could with the chains holding him. "I suppose that's fair." He says as he looks past Night Fury to Astrid "Is that fine with you?"

"Working with you? Fuck no." She replies, turning to Night Fury now. "But….if we can use you to bring down Drago, Mildew and everyone else from that place….then I'm afraid I have no choice.."

She looks at Night Fury once more, a frown upon she face which he soon shares.

"Great! It's settled then.. so do we have team jerseys and stuff?" Eret asks mockingly, soon shifting in his seat "And could someone please free me?"

 **(Later that night)**

Astrid sat up in her apartment, reading a book on her couch. The television played in the background , but the sounds of 'The Golden Girls' were blocked out by her own thoughts. She couldn't believe Night Fury expected her to work with that bastard.. it was like an insult.

And yet, she understood where he was coming from. She was torn from her thoughts by the sound of the door being knocked upon. She walked over to it and peered through the peephole, seeing a families face.

A smile actually came to her own face as she adjusted the bun her hair had been tied into and tugged on the bright blue Hello Kitty shirt she wore.

She pulled the door open, seeing a pair of emerald eyes staring back at her. He smiled awkwardly "Hey Astrid.."

"Hiccup...can I help you?" She asks as he rubs the back of his neck awkwardly with his right hand. His left hand seemed preoccupied with a large metal suitcase.

"I wanted to talk to you, mind if I come in? It's fairly... important." He replies, watching as the blonde looked at him in bewilderment before stepping aside and motioning for him to come in.

As he entered the apartment, he gave it a quick look over. "Nice place." He says whilst placing his suitcase down. Astrid offers him a seat at the couch next to where she'd sat, which he takes happily.

She moves towards the kitchen, asking "You want something to drink?"

"Um...water would be fine." He says as she returns with a glass of water and a glass of orange soda, placing both down and sitting down beside him.

"So...how's work been?" She asks, having been absent as of recent. "It's been..work." he replies with a chuckle as he takes a sip of water. As he sets the glass down, he clears his throat. "I suppose I should get right to it then."

Astrid nodded, feeling a bit awkward in the moment as her rival sat next to her, a random visit taking her by surprise.

"Um...well I'll start like this..my father always told me that trust is a big thing I'm any partnership or friendship or...anything..ya know?"

She nodded, not knowing where he was going with this. "I trust you Astrid , and I hope you trust me. I know sometimes partners they fight and have their issues, but those issues can be resolved.. sometimes people make decisions that their partners won't like."

"Hiccup what are you saying here?" She asks, a well trimmed eyebrow lifted in question.

"I'm saying...I know you're Stormfly." She blinked heavily "I'm what? I didn't quite hear that."

"I know you're Stormfly.." he says, looking to her. Her expression said it all, she was going to try to lie her way out of it. "I know you use an old stealth suit that you repainted and that your powers stem from an underground research group.."

"Hiccup…." She said, her eyes locking onto him in all seriousness.

"I know because…" he looked to the suitcase, and pressed a thumb against the small black panel above the rim. It beeped and a click could be heard .

He finally lifted the top of it, revealing a black and dark blue suit and a large lensed mask.

"I'm Night Fury…."

 ** _sorry for the short chapter guys, i promise the next one will be longer. been under the weather a bit lately but imma be back at it soon. til next time, keep reading and if you like this story, share it with your buds and check out some more!! thanks!!_**


	5. The Kid

**Detroit- Six Years Ago**

Night Fury- age eighteen. He continued his job of stalking the streets alongside his father. But there was a small group of heroes, a duo of sorts that had taken to doing the same thing in Detroit, not too far from home. Windshear and Hookfang is what they were called, and Hiccup knew them all too well.

Or at least their civilian identities. Heather Oswaldson and Scott Jorgenson. Scott was his cousin, a few months younger than Hiccup but much more muscular and a bit dumber. He used his head in the literal sense (headbutting, headslamming, any attack that utilitizes one's head.). Heather was his girlfriend and also the one to keep him calm in certain situations.

They were like polar opposites, but that's what made them work so well. Scott, or Snot as many called him, was always angry, brutal in battle. Heather moved with the grace of a dancer and remained calm even in the worst situations….but none of them expected things to get worse. It was a simple operation, and a regular night.

Heather looked at Scott, who wore an orange and Red suit of similar design to her own, save for the cowl that covered his hair , eyes and nose and was shaped in the jagged point like a Monstrous Nightmare.

He smiled at her as the two stood upon a roof, looking down at a building below, surveying the windows on the side they stood just far enough away from.

"He's late.." Hookfang says as his modulator kicks in, Windshear slapping his arm gently. "He'll be here...you know your cousin likes dramatic entrances."

Hookfang rolled his eyes, though the action wasn't visible beneath the yellow tinted lenses of his mask. "Yeah...how bout this, we give him five more minutes and then we move in without him…" he says, making a plan to her. It was debatable, but tonight she didn't want to debate.

She sighed and smirked. "Fine..". Windshear looks away, staring out into the night sky for a moment. A bad feeling crept up on her. A large pair of arms wrapped around her, hugging her tight as Hookfang rested his head on her shoulder. "Hey… I know you want him here. I do too...he's my cousin..I love him… but we can't risk them getting away in favor of his timing.." he says, the girl merely nodding in response and kissing his stubble ridden cheek.

"Alright , you make a good point. Let's just try to save some for him , huh?" She asks, resting a hand on the spot she'd kissed. Hookfang smiled "Of course.." he replied as he looked over at the building.

It was a four floor building, with twelve men on each one. They had arranged their set-up perfectly, the highest floor holding twelve men armed with semi-automatic weapons. The bottom floor held the same, while the two middle floors' men all worked heavily on stocking crates and containers, only about six of them actually being armed.

On the fourth and highest floor, the men moved in a wedge formation across the floor and back, six in one formation moving towards the door and six in another formation facing the back walls.

A shadow came upon the center of the floor, drawing some of their attention it's way. The window nearest the wedge facing the door shattered apart with a large burst of fire hitting it. The large form of Hookfang rushed behind it and barreled into two of the men, slamming them into the floor boards headfirst. They were unconscious.

He turned around quickly, activating the feature built into his suit to allow flames to burst from his hands and up to his shoulders, launching the flames at the rest of the men in a large wave. The flames were actually in a form of concussive energy, rigged to looked like fire.

He walked over to the downed men, clapping his gauntlets together to create another burst to send them all flying into the wall halfway across the room.

He smirked at this, listening to the sounds of Windshear handling the other formation. He turned around, watching as she released the collar of the last man, allowing him to slump onto the floor.

"Fourth floor down, three to go… you wanna just take out the shipments first?" He asks her, getting a nod in response. As they move towards the door, one of the men they'd taken down speaks into his walkie talkie.

A sharp rumbling erupts beneath them, causing them to look at one another before rushing down to the third floor. As they burst onto that floor, they're met with all of the men inside being unconscious. The weapons they'd been stocking for sale had been blown up.

"Hey guys.." a voice cut in, the two heroes turning to see Night Fury walking over with his bo staff drawn.

Hookfang chuckled as Windshear smiled at the hero. "There you are.. took ya long enough cuz."

Night Fury gave a shrug. "I had to get away from the old man.." he says, walking over to them. "I take it you got the fourth floor down?" He asks, receiving a nod from Hookfang as he crossed his large arms over his chest.

"That was lightweight." Windshear says as she walks towards the door. As the males scoff and walk behind her, Night Fury stops. He taps the lenses of his mask, going into a search mode and searches the area "Gonna make sure we're not missing anything here." He tells them as they watch him.

"Alright, I'll head down and get started on the second floor." Hookfang says as he turns back towards the door and walks towards it. "Hold up." Windshear says, rushing over to him

As they head out, Night Fury's eyes pan over to the walls. "What the." Illuminated in red on his lenses were long wires, going from floor to floor. They seemed to connect to boxes in the floors..

He walked over to the box that was set up in the back corner of the room, pulling the metal covering off of it. A small gasp of surprise escaped his lips as he saw a heavy explosive behind the casing.

He wasted no time in tapping into his communication software and alerting the other two heroes. "Guys this whole place is rigged to bl-" a loud boom echoed throughout the entire city.

The first floor's explosive had gone off. The beams holding the second level collapsed and the third floor shook wildly, nearly collapsing as well. He fell to his knees from the force and yelled into his comm.

"Hookfang!! Windshear!! Guys!!? Hello?!?"

It was dead silent for the longest time. After about three minutes, a scream erupted from the comm. "HOOKFANG!!!"

His eyes widened and he launched several minor level explosive shuriken onto the floor boards. They went off creating a nice hole for him, Night Fury jumped down it and nearly fell onto a pile of debris. He landed carefully, hitting the ground below.

Most of the men inside were dead, crushed by rubble or debris from the explosion. The entire second floor sunk into the first floor, taking out most of the inhabitants of both floors. Nothing he could do for them right now. He needed to focus on this.

He searched the room, his gauntlet proojecting a hologram to show the signatures of Hookfang and Windshear's communicators. He found one nearby, pushing a pile of rubble off of Windshear's lower half and helping her to her feet.

She was shaken, scared even. It looked like she was crying. He needed her to regain control and soon, they had to get Hookfang and get out of there. "Hey! Hey! Windshear look at me...where is Hookfang?" He asks her as calm as he can be in the moment.

Her hands shake as she lifts up one of them, pointing in front of her. His eyes followed the path in which she pointed, and his jaw dropped in an instant. All he saw was a pile of debris, a pool of blood and a large orange and red decorated arm.

Night Fury wanted to move, he wanted to say something...but he couldn't. He just dropped right there, Windshear dropping with them.. "Scott…" he whispered as the tears began to flow.

The two heroes sat there...crying with one another at the loss of their loved one.

 **Dragon's Edge (NOW)**

"Ever since that day, I've tried to be more cautious of human life... cautious of everything, of people aorund me even. I cut people off as best I could, avoided social interaction and focused on my work…"

Hiccup stood before a gym full of high school students, wearing his normal dark brown leather jacket and a cream colored button up shirt. It was a special day at the school, as they'd asked some DEPD workers to come in and talk to the kids.

While most were far too busy for it, or just too lazy to do it, Hiccup took up the task of speaking to the children of Edge High School. He mostly wanted his message to get across with the Seniors who'd be leaving to experience the full joys of life soon and the freshmen who were just dipping their toes in the pool of life.

"My whole life has been mostly of loss honestly.. I lost my mom to some common street thieves...lost my cousin in a gang fight.." he stopped, scoffing at the lies he'd told. He told them about how he lost Scott, but not about the exact way- not how he also lost Hookfang..

{Gang war….good one….damn liar.} He thought as he shook his head slowly. "I lost so much...so many people to the criminal element that I just...left home. I dedicated my life to bringing bad people in and making sure no one else had to feel the same pain… because it's just a horrible feeling… honestly I'd like to say I'm doing a pretty good job so far." He says with a chuckle, getting a small laugh from some of the students.

"Look, I'm not gonna keep this as some long winded speech. I'll leave it at this- be careful. Don't do anything you know is wrong, if you have to think twice on it, it's probably not for you.."

"Thank you Detective Haddock.'' the principal, a shorter woman with dark brown hair streaked with layers of white, said as she placed a hand onto the man's shoulder and lead him to turn to her. "No problem." He says, a smile coming to his face as he gives the class a wave and turns to leave.

Not long after, the bell rang and the hallways flooded with kids. Hiccup moved towards the double doors that led to the courtyard outside, looking at the phone in his hand as he did so. There were five missed calls, and twelve messages from Astrid.

"Last message : SERIOUSLY?!? YOU DROP A BOMB LIKE THAT AND DON'T SAY ANYTHING ELSE?!?" he chuckled a bit as he read that.

"Um...excuse me." A small voice managed to draw him away from the barrage of angry messages he'd received on his phone. He turned around,his eyes setting upon a shorter male- a student.

He had black hair, combed very similar to someone he once knew. "What's up kid?" Hiccup asked as the young man awkwardly looked to he floor, then back up to him. His knuckles were wrapped in bandages , Hiccup noticed this as soon as the kid began to toy with the straps of his old, raggedy green backpack.

"You're a cop…I had a question." The kid responds. Hiccup smiles warmly "About what?"

"Child abuse." . And cue the awkward silence. It took a moment for Henry to register what the kid had just said. But once he did, he gave an awkward nod and said "Shoot."

The kid looked to he ground once again "My mom is sick..and my stepdad works to pay for her treatment..but lately he's been coming home drunk… he yells.." Hiccup's eyes soften, as he listens intently to the story.

"Go on…" he says gently, urging the kid to continue . "H-he..he always yells at me.. I yelled back last night.. and…"

Hiccup placed a hand of support onto his shoulder, watching as the child's eyes began to well up. "Did he hurt you?" He asks plainly, as serious as a heart attack.

The child looked back at him and gave a simple nod. "I tried to fight him.. I-I tried to get my m-mom out of there..but… he was too strong.. he beat me up, he stepped on my hand a bunch and then he left...he hasn't been home since.."

Hiccup bit his lip, trying to hold back the rage that had built within him. "Come with me… I'll get you and your mother taken care of.."

 **(DEPD Building)**

Hiccup marched up to the desk in the center of the building, placing a manilla folder down onto it for the woman behind it to pick up. "Hey Phlegma." He said, casting a glance over his shoulder across the room.

He watched briefly as the boy say in a chair, looking at the floor and every few seconds or so, looking around the building. "What do we got here?" Phlegma asks as she opens the file, finding images of the boys damaged hand and bruises on his face inside.

"Victim of child abuse. Kid's name is Gustav Larson, he's 14 and he lives in the Garden District." Hiccup replies as he looks to her, her eyes widening gently as she views everything within.

"His step dad beat him last night..beat him like he was in a street fight and left the kid to bleed on the floor. I wanna do something about that."

"Of course you do...you know that big heart of yours may get you in trouble one day." She says, a sly smile coming to her face. "I'll open up the case for you and some other to investigate. For now we need to relocate him and his mother. Does he have any other relatives in town?"

"Nah...dad died years ago, neither of his parents have any siblings. Cousins are all out of town and out of contact with them.. he's pretty much alone with her.." he says, looking to the kid once more. He looks at Phlegma again.

"I can't get them room and board at my apartment. I'll move in when we get the warrant to search his home and Ruff and Tuff can go to arrest the guy today."

"Already sent them out." Phlegma says with a smile. He smiles back, knowing Ruff and Tuff this guy was in for a hard time.

"Thanks Phlegm.." Hiccup says, giving a wave to the kind receptionist as he walks back to Gustav. "Hey.. I found somewhere for you and your mom to stay for a bit."

 **(Hours later)**

The clicking of the doorknob echoed throughout the the empty apartment as Hiccup pushed it open. He wheeled in two suitcases behind him, flicking the light switch on with the edge of his foot to illuminate the room. Gustav walked behind, a black duffel bag full of items on his back. He turned to his mother, a slender woman with black hair, mid-40s who coughed softly as she walked in. She looked as healthy as could be, looked barely a day over 40.

But she was sick, Hiccup deduced that much from their first meeting. "Thank you so much Detective Haddock.." the woman began as Gustav walked around the area. It was a moderate sized apartment, three bedrooms and a nice kitchen, one bath with a beautiful tile pattern and shower. It also had a balcony.

"You're welcome Mrs.Larson.." he says with a smile as he hands her the keys. "My apartment is upstairs, room 211 if you need me. I'll also be checking in on you guys and Officer Thorston and Officer Thorston are going to be taking shifts watching out for you outside."

With that being said, he turned and made his exit from the apartment, closing the door behind him. As he turns away from the oak door, he smiles thinking of what he'd just done. It made him feel better about recent situations.

Ruffnut walked over to him, a bored look upon her face. "Hey my shift ends in a few minutes, Tuff is on his way up now…" she says plainly, Hiccup cocking an eye at her.

"You alright?" He asks the female twin who nods "You sure? Usually you hit on me or say something about my butt." He says

She chuckles "Ah what, you like me talking about your butt?"

He gave a shrug. "Makes me feel like the cardio is working." He replies with a chuckle of his own. Ruff casually strolls past him "You know we could see just how well that cardio is working for you."

She says, leaning against him gently. He chuckles "We should probably wait for your bro-" as he's saying this, he hears the elevator opening and the sounds of Hollywood Undead's Levitate playing loudly.

"He's here, let's go." Ruff replied, pulling him towards the elevator and past her confused brother. The two moved to Hiccup's apartment and soon , his bedroom. The rest of the night went rather smoothly.

(4:15 AM)

Night Fury found himself chained up to a wooden chair, and being submerged in to a large mass of water. As he kicked and struggled to get free, he found that the more he tried, the less of a chance he ah at actually surviving. His eyes widened as he gasped for air, when suddenly a hand reached out for him.

It was a gloved hand, red gloved. His eyes locked onto the shape at the other end of it, gasping gently. "Scott!!" He said, more water rushing into his lungs as he said this. He was soon pulled free from the swimming pool and on the side of it, coughing up a storm.

He looked up to see his cousin Scott, age 11 looking down at him. "Dude I sometimes can't believe I'm the younger cousin." he says with a grin, a few missing teeth showing.

The 11 year old Hiccup laughed as he stood up, standing a few inches taller than the other boy. "Shut up!" He says, giving him a playful shove.

"Whatever, just don't drown again fishbone!"

"If I do I won't need you to save me Snotlout!" Hiccup replied as a laugh escaped both of them.

"Hey that's as one time!" Scott replied as he pushed him once again. "And besides….you didn't save me…" he says. His voice sounded different, sounded like the older version of himself in an 11 year olds body.

Henry stopped laughing at that moment, turning towards him. "W-what?" He asked , now seeing A fully grown Hookfang standing in young Scott's place. "Why didn't you save me?" He asks him, Hiccup dropping to his knees.

"Scott...no…. I..I'm so sorry.."

"Sorry doesn't bring me back...you can't save anything..you can't save anyone. Not me, not those gauntlet guys...not your mother… what kind of hero are you?!" Hookfang asks, swinging a baseball bat at his face.

Henry wakes up with a start, a sweat having broke out in his nightmare. He looked to the sleeping form of Ruff next to him, a bit relieved he hadn't awoken her. She'd be gone by morning either way, this was nothing new for them

They knew a relationship, an actual relationship, wouldn't work. But this seemed to work quite well. But for now, he needed to focus on something else.

He got up, heading down into the Dragon's Den and sat at his computer for a good while, before getting the guts to read the rest of Astrid's messages.

1.You're serious?!?

2\. Hello?!?!

3\. DO NOT IGNORE ME HADDOCK!! I KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE!!

Finally, he'd grown tired of it. Tired of avoiding her and tired if sitting around and doing nothing. He tapped the icon on his phone, listening as it quickly dialed her number. " H-hello?" A voice spoke on the other side.

"I'm sorry. It's been a long day, a couple of long days and I know I've been blanking you but...I just wanted..space I guess? I know a dropped a huge bomb on you and that's as wrong, and I'm an asshole for that bu-"

"Shut up…" she said, causing him to cease his rambling for the time being. A giggle entered his ears then. "You sound stupid." She says

"Yeah.. I am. The stupidest." He says with a chuckle. "But I'm sorry. I am Night Fury, I have been since I was ten and I'm…I'm a monster I guess."

"I'd really like to know more about this monster thing.. but not now. I'm tired. Go to sleep, and I'll come by to talk to you later in the day, okay?" She asks.

He nods, though she can't see this and replies with an "Okay" before they both hang up. Hiccup then tosses his phone onto the desk and runs a hand through his aurburn hair.

"I am so screwed...I feel it.."

"You can say that again.''

Hiccup moved with a swiftness that could barely be tracked, grabbing and throwing a shuriken immediately in the direction of the voice. From what he could register, it didn't hit him and instead hit the wall behind him.

"Relax.." the voice says, as a hooded figure walks out of the shadows. Hiccup stands up completely, staring at the figure. His face droops slightly as he sees "Gustav?!"

The young teen chuckled as he looked at Hiccup. "Yeah...I was poking around and found this weird elevator."

"Bullshit." Hiccup said, stopping the boy's like then and there.

Gustav shrugged "Alright, I was punching the wall in our apartment out of anger and found a panel for something when I finally made a hole in it."

Hiccup's eyes widened as he threw his arms up in defeat. "It's like the Gods just wanted this to be found."

"Maybe.." Gustav replies as he casts a glance to the Night Fury suit. "But this is so COOL!!" He shouts with Glee as he runs over to the case, staring at it.

"Hey hey hey, no." Hiccup walks over to the boy. "You can't be down here, and you can't know about this."

"But I do know , and that's what makes this fun."

Hiccup lifts an eyebrow. "Pardon?"

Gustav smiles as he crossed his arms. "You could train me." The boy states. It took a moment to register, before Hiccup replied.

"What?"

"You...could...train...me…" he says once again, very slowly to ensure the older male understood him very clearly. "I could go and beat my stepdad, pay him back for what he's done…"

"No." Hiccup replies immediately. Gustav frowns. "What? Why not? Come on! Every great superhero has a sidekick!"

"Not this one.." his stance remained firm, he refused to give in. As he turned away from Gustav, he stared blankly at his suit.

"Too many lives lost...too many risks taken. I've let people die, some in my name and some by sheer accident. I refuse to train someone up just so they can fall to the same fate."

He looks at Gustav once again. "Get out of here kid...I can't be your mentor...not like this."

The silence soon filled the air, bothering the both of them. Gustav looked to the floor, before turning to face him once again. "I was a big fan… of your cousin. Scott "Snotlout'' Jorgenson.."

Hiccup raised an eyebrow, but it was set down as he realized what he meant. Scott was an all star athlete, and the best quarterback that Central High School in Detroit had ever seen. Schools lined up with scholarships for him, until the incident that took his life.

"He was so cool..wanted to be just like him when I grew up. Even changed my hair like his." He chuckled. Gustav then sighed. "Look, I know the risk.. but it's my responsibility to ensure that people like my stepdad never hurt anyone again.."

The boy was shaken, his emotions flying everywhere st the moment. "I don't want to kill him, I don't wanna kill anyone! I know the values of life just like I know people can change, but Gods dammit!! I want to help bring that change!! I know how to fight, I'm just…"

He stopped his rant, calming himself gently as a few tears began to fall. "I'm weak….and I wanna be strong…"

Hiccup had to weigh his options heavily. But his decision was clear. He looked at Gustav. "Go back to your apartment. Go to sleep."

Gustav stared at him, slightly taken aback. But turned to head out, his head hanging low as he approaches the elevator.

"We start training tomorrow." Hiccup says, bringing Gustav to a halt. He smiles before running back to the elevator. As he entered it, a call of "Don't make me regret this!!" Hit his ears, Gustav giving a thumbs up to Hiccup.

"You won't!!"

 **(In his apartment)**

Hiccup leaned over the balcony, watching as the skies above allowed the sun's rays to shine on down. He couldn't help but to smile at how peaceful the sight looked. His peace was interrupted as a crackling sound entered his ears, he smirked.

"Hey.." he said to the descending Stormfly, who now hovered over his head.

"Hey…" she says, turning her body upside down. "I've got the hang on this now.." she says.

He chuckles. "I see...biological storms.. weird power." He says as she hovers down next to him, wearing a white short sleeved blouse and some jeans. "I think that just means you control the weather around you…"

She lifts an eyebrow. "I figured that out years ago.. when I first got free, I remember I was so sad one day that it started pouring rain. Except it was only raining on me...and in my house…"

He smiled at her as he turned his back to the railing. "So it seems that the electrical part of your powers was just some sort of lock, like they were set for lightning usage until you got the hang of them.."

"It seems so...weird as Hell, but I think it's cool. Matches my name much more.." she says as she turns around, leaning against the rail with him. "So...who's the kid?' she asks, looking over at Gustav as he punches a punching bag in Hiccup's living room.

"That...thats my sidekick."

She looks at him, a bit surprised. "Man you're just picking up strays now aren't you?" She asks as he playfully scoffs and walks over to Gustav. "Hey Gustav, this is Astrid. She's a close friend of mine."

Gustav continues to wail on the bag, pausing to look at her and give a wave. "Is she as close a friend as the one from last night?" He asks, causing both adults eyes to widen.

"One from last night?" She asks , turning to him.

"Yeah I think her name was Officer Thorston?'' the teenager says, a smirk coming to his face as Astrid's eyes glow a bit. She turns to Hiccup.

"You had sex with Ruff?!" She asks, anger building as her hair began to lift upwards. Hiccup darted back and took off running at that moment.

"Dammit Gustav!!!"

 **(Detroit)**

It was like a routine, coming back to this area. It had been years since he'd even seen it and he couldn't help but to feel a strange way. The figure looked over at the building that was once crumbled down.

He gave a sigh as he turned away from it. "Memories….need to find...them…" he said, the cold Detroit air starting to bother him as he tightened the hood ever so slightly, attempting to keep the wind out of his face.

The sound of a Harley Davidson motorcycle bursting to life filled the streets, as the figure took off down the main road, passing a sign that read 'Now leaving'.

He had his eyes set on something else, somewhere else. Next stop, Dragon's Edge.


	6. The Caller

**_Five Years Ago-_**

Eret watched as the newest addition to their little '"family" was walked into the lab. It was a little girl, this was something all new. He'd never seen them bring in a subject so...young.. What the hell?

But nevermind his thoughts ,or the random change. He still had a task, a job to do. He'd have to train her no matter what. He continued to look on as the child was strabbed down to a table, Dr.Mildew moving a cart full of surgical tools over.

He pulled a mask over his nose and mouth, motioning towards his assistant. "Bring me Chemical X-J79." He said in a rather cold tone of voice. Eret crossed his arms over his chest, watching as he would begin his work on the child. It was just another procedure, something he'd seen nearly every day while working with them.

But it was different today. This was a life so young, a life so small. What if she isn't one of the lucky ones? What if she's one of the failures? He sighed deeply as he tried to ignore it, but the little girl's cries kept drawing his attention back over to them. She looked so innocent, she looked so helpless. And she looked so...small.

Malnourished even. She looked to be about 7 years old. He couldn't simply stand by, could he? No...he could. He'd done it time and time again for every subject..he'd beaten them and taught them proper techniques both in hand to hand and with their newly given abilities.

But he couldn't do this. As Mildew filled the large syringe with the strange , slate colored chemical- Eret shuddered. He watched as she was injected, the green flames of energy within him beginning to build up. The veins in his arms grew more visible, and grew a bright green color.

He gripped his forearms tight, trying to ignore it. Ignore the pain she was being subjected to. Ignore her wails and cries for her mother.. he tried to ignore it all, and put on the mask that he wore.

The mask of cold and tonelessness. The mask that bred most of the warriors in here. But it was so damn hard...why? Why did he feel this way? Is it some sudden change of heart? A sudden feeling that he could do better? He didn't know what to call it.

But either way, it was enough. A burst of green energy was launched at Mildew's hand, Shattering the bones within the man's hand with ease and sending him flying onto his back. Eret lunged over to the table, burning through the straps that held the child.

He looked down briefly, catching sight of the child looking up at him in wonder. Mildew arose slowly, screaming at him now. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING , BOY?!?!"

Eret paused, staring down at the child then over at him. "The right thing…" he says finally, raising a hand and opening fire on Mildew with full force. The burst of energy sent him flying back, pressing him against the wall. But he didn't stop there, stepping towards Mildew.

"I should've stopped you so long ago.. I shouldn't even be here… God I was an idiot. I can't keep doing this..and I won't allow you to either." He says, finally closing in on the old and burned man. He could hear him breathing, but just barely.

His large hand grabbed Mildew by the face, energy surging in his palm as he glared at him. "I won't do this...not anymore...I'm going to fix the things I've done.." he says, unleashing the full force of his powers onto him. He heard the wild screams of Mildew , but they soon faded.

Mildew's face soon faded from his sight, and as he stopped his attack all he saw was a body falling to the floor, the head having been turned to ash.

He stared at the corpse for a moment, visibly shaking. But the feeling of a small hand tapping his leg turned his attention away. He looked back to find the little girl staring at him. He couldn't help but to smile. She was beautiful, a small child with short cut reddish-orange hair and bright blue eyes. Even a few freckles.

He kneeled down beside her, placing a hand onto her shoulder. "I'm sorry...I should've stopped him sooner.." he began as the girl hugged him tight.

"Thank you…" she said, crying into his shoulder. He smiled. "You're welcome… come on. I'm gonna get you out of here and back to your mother and father."

She smiled through her tears "Thank you Mister.."

"Eret...call me Eret.."

"Mister Eret...I'm Emily." She said as she pulled away. He lifted her onto his shoulder. "That's a pretty name Emily." He said as he walked towards the door. He knew he'd have to fight his way through several guards, but they'd be no match for him.

He'd be back for Drago later though.

 ** _(The Safehouse- Now)_**

Eret leaned back in a rolling chair, digging his hands into a Berk Burger bag and pulling a large cheeseburger out of it. He took a rather large bite of the food and looked over at Windshear who stood nearby, rewiring the left gauntlet of her suit with it laying on the table before her.

Her mask was still on, even after all this. "You know. You can trust me." He says, reaching into the bag for a bundle of French fries. "I mean, with your identity. Knowing it wouldn't service me in any way."

"That's what you say. I don't trust just anyone. " She replies, not taking her eyes off of the piece of gear before her. She smiled as the wires finally connected in the proper order and moved to punch them down into place. Once done, she slid a covering over them and locked it back into place.

"It's because I was the bad guy right?" He asks as he spins in the chair, freely ignoring most other things. His goggles lay in the table beside his bag. He kept it close to him at all times, the mask however was still fixated upon his face.

"Yes. That and, how can I trust someone as obsessed as wearing a mask as you?" She asks him as she slides the gauntlet back onto the wrist, turning and firing off her Razorwhip at a dummy about 50 feet away from her. She nailed it right in the head and proceeded to reel it back in.

Eret scoffed as he watched her, the words she said ringing throughout his head. "I can't simply take this mask off...it's... personal." He says, standing up and walking towards her.

"Same here. My mask is personal too, cause it's my identity." She replies as she turns to face him. "It's simple, you want trust, you gotta give respect and trust of your own in return."

Eret paused for a moment, taking heed of her words. It made sense in all honesty, enough sense for him to comply. "Alright, fine. I'll remove it. Just please don't...laugh…" he says, undoing the back strap of the mask and removing it, allowing the bottom half of his face to show.

Windshear found nothing out of the ordinary, save for maybe a scar that went down the side of his face. "What's the big deal?" She asks as she examines his face a bit more close.

"The big deal is the scar.." he says, keeping his eyes off of her at all costs and looking towards the floor. He absentmindedly began to count the cracks in the floor as Windshear looked at him, bewildered by his response. She couldn't see anything wrong with the scar, it was barely even noticeable.

It was only about an inch long and went from the bridge of his nose to just below his right eye.

"It's nothing.." she says, scoffing softly. {How vain can one be? To think a scar so small is worth constantly concealing it with a mask?} She wondered as she turned around once more, ready to fire her Razorwhip at another target.

"It's not nothing. I look hideous...I look like a monster…" he says solemnly, adjusting the mask upon his face once more and walking back over to his food.

"You look like a regular human being who caught the business end of a price of shrapnel. And it barely did that much damage." She says, turning to face him once again.

He stood over the table that held his food, staring downwards at the floor, almost as though he was deep in thought. She couldn't help but to wonder what was going through the man's head now.

"I'm twenty eight years old...joined Drago's crew when I was twenty… in those years I discovered alot about myself… I liked to get paid, and didn't care who suffered as long as the check cleared.. but one day that all changed." He starts, taking a moment to pause as he looks to her once more.

"Changed how?" She asks, now interested in the tale this former criminal had to tell.

He sighed for a moment. "It all started five years ago..with a little girl named Emily. She was their youngest subject yet...and I couldn't let her suffer that."

 ** _{Five Years Ago- The Freezing Temperatures of the Canadian Wilderness_** }

Eret stomped throughout the white colored plains of the forest, an automatic weapon strapped to his back with a pistol at his side. In his fur wrapped hands, he carried a bundle of warmth.

Emily hugged herself close to him, as he tried his best to keep the young girl covered with the fur, thus shielding her from the cold , cold air and the snow that flurried around them.

"Fan out and search!!"

He'd heard it being echoed from not too far away and quickly lunged behind a large tree, positioning himself against it's trunk and sinking down to one knee. Eret looks at Emily, his mask and goggles still fixated upon his face.

"Stay here and keep quiet alright? I'm gonna go handle them." He says, receiving a nod of affirmation in response from the child. He tucked her into the large fur as best he could and moved up to his feet, then rushed over to the next tree. Drawing the semi-automatic rifle he'd stolen out, he pressed the side against the tree and set his eyes through the rear sight aperture.

Watching with precision, he waited for the blue of the sky and the white of the snow to turn dark, therefore signalling a target for him to fire at. It came soon after, and he unleashed three swift shots which echoed throughout the forest.

Blood spilled into the snow, about 50 feet away. He could see the splatter as the first round made contact with the man's head, tearing through his helmet with ease and bringing him down right away. The last two shots to the chest and stomach were to ensure his demise.

He smirked to himself, happy with the work he'd done and quickly preparing from the rest of them.

"That came from over here!!" Another man shouted as he rushed to the area. Eret's smirk still hadn't faded, in fact it had turned to a smile as he watched this. "Like moths to a flame." He whispered as he lined up the man's head with his crosshairs.

 **Bang**

Another one bites the dust. He falls to the ground. His allies soon rushing to his side. "Now the fun can really begin." Eret exclaims as he sets the weapon down and comes from behind the tree.

{Four of em. One of Drago's six man strike squads...they're supposed to be the elites…}

Eret analyzed each man carefully, they all are the same uniform. Black Baclavas over their faces with black face paint around their eyes.

A black IOTV with a red devil head spray painted onto the center of the chest, right over the sternum. Armed with two Bowie knives, several reloads in their vest pockets and a pistol at their sides.

They were hard to shake off, he'd give em that. But they were also easy to pick off. And now that they were in the same area, in the same vicinity nonetheless...this was going to end soon.

Eret wasted no time, the energy having already been built up and saved in his palms. He whistled sharply, drawing their attention before launching a burst of energy that tore through some of the trees, leaving them burnt to a crisp in the wake of his attack.

As the smoke and steam cleared, all that could be seen were the charred bodies of the men, dropping to the ground with several heavy thuds. Upon further analysis of each man, Eret discovered that he'd managed to melt the plates in their IOTVs to their bodies.

He was pleased with his work and swiftly turned to run back to Emily. He scooped up the child and then the weapon, making sure to place it on safe before carrying on. The two continued their trek from there.

About an hour later, they reached a river where a small row boat sat near the shore. He sat her down onto her feet and went over to retrieve and prepare it for a long voyage. As he did this, she wiped her eyes and looked at him. "Mister Eret, where are we going?" She asked.

He looked back to her. "New York.. that's your home right? Manhattan?". The child nodded in response.

"I stole your file before we left. Memorized all the information I needed. I'm gonna make sure you get back to your mother and make sure she sleeps soundly at night knowing her little girl is safe." As he gave his explanation, he finally got the boat onto the water but tied it down for a moment.

Eret moved to a tree nearby, feeling the branch before ripping a rather wide one clean off and analyzing it. His hands lit up once more with the green energy and he molded them around the branch, shaping it properly.

As the excess wood burned away, all that was left was an oar for him to row the boat with. He smiled at the work he'd done, and proceeded to make another one, burning away the excess wood and repeating the process over again.

Eret moved back over the boat, setting the oars in place and motioning for Emily to join him. As the girl made her way over, the sound of rapid footsteps approached the too and a metallic click rang throughout the area.

"Both of you...freeze!!" The man says, aiming his weapon at the two. The man moves carefully down a hill of snow as Eret moves an arm over Emily to keep her safe, drawing his stolen pistol to defend himself and the child.

"Go away and I'll let you live." He says plainly as the man makes his way towards them. "I've got direct orders from Drago. To kill the traitor and the experiment. His secrets can't get out.'' the man says, his crosshairs trained upon Eret.

Emily watched this with fear live in her young eyes, hugging Eret's leg. "Mister Eret…" she mumbled as Eret looked to her then the man once again. "You're not gonna kill anyone." He says, ready to fire his pistol.

The man swiftly opens fire, a bullet ripping through the air and rushing towards Eret's chest. But the bullet suddenly was torn to pieces, shrapnel falling down to the snow before Eret's feet.

"Huh?" He wondered aloud, looking down to see Emily's eyes glowing a bright whitish color as a field of gray and silver energy surrounded them. The field then expanded at a fast rate and hit the shooter, the energy alone began to tear his body apart.

Eret's eyes widened and he moved quickly to cover her eyes, making sure the child didn't see the Carnage that befell the man. Eret himself soon looked away, and opted instead to move the child into the boat and begin rowing it away.

"After seeing that, I knew I had to protect that child with my life. Their experiment had worked, too well. She was bouncing with energy, and that meant that she couldn't be in the public."

Windshear looked to him, a look of wonder upon her face as she listened to his words. She honestly couldn't believe it- the former Trainer of Drago's experiments was turned good by a toddler? It was amazing. But as she thought this, she noticed his face went downwards.

He was frowning, it seemed a tear was escaping his eye. "We made it to the Canadian border…. I thought we were in the clear so I hijacked a car and we took off." He looked to her again.

"They found us hours later, and they had sent a militia of sorts. Emily...she wanted to protect me...she poured out so much power...her little body couldn't handle it…"

He looked to his hands, his memories building once more. Eret now recalled it in perfect view- holding Emily in his arms as the child coughed wildly.

"Easy kid, easy.." he said, looking briefly around the area at the damage that she'd done. Two whole helicopters were on fire in the middle of the street nearby, and several dismembered body parts laid around.

He looked on as a man near a gas pump struggled to move to his feet, screaming in agony as he crumbled to the ground. It was a sick sight to see, even for him. The gas station almost blew up, thankfully the blast didn't reach the tanks.

He laid a palm upon her head. "You alright?" He asked, getting a small nod in response. She then coughed once again, a bit of blood flying out upon his mask.

He drew a finger over the wet substance, a look of horror coming to his face as he wiped the mask. "M-mister Eret…." She spoke, so slow...so calm.

He frantically listened to her. "Yeah?!" He asked, wondering what she'd need.

"T-take off your mask…" she says, a small smile coming to her face. The man didn't hesitate, removing it swiftly for the child to see. This seemed to brighten her whole world up, as she reached up as best she could to give him another hug.

He smiled with Glee as the child whispered into his ear. "You're beautiful Mister Eret…". It was like a form of recognition. He felt that he had actually done something right for once as he heard this. But that feeling sunk down to the pit of his stomach as he felt the life slowly draining from her body.

Eret was shaken from his thoughts as he felt her grip loosen up. He pulled her down gently,nudging her slightly. "Emily?" He asked.

The child gave no response, but merely lay there , seemingly asleep. A smile plastered upon her face as she thought of the man who'd saved her.

"E-emily?!?" He began to shout, gently shaking her. His body felt weak, his hands loosened and he nearly dropped her to the ground, but swiftly caught her. "Emily?!"

It was then the tears began to fall, as he felt her life slip right between his fingers. So young.. so happy. And now she was gone. This was the type of thing that Drago did, that Mildew did...and sadly..

It was what he used to do.

"I buried her next to the biggest tree I could find. When we were journeying to the border, she'd always admire the trees. I got the scar on a mission after that."

Windshear looked at him solemnly "What type of mission?"

He bit his tongue softly as she asked this. "My last mission...delivering the news to her mother.. I tracked her down and told her and…" he shook his head. "She swung a knife at me, I barely even dodged it in time...not that I could blame her though… she did nail me in the shoulder with it before I left.."

She gasped softly as she heard this, offering a hand to him.

He turned to her, taking her hand into his own. "Emily said I was beautiful...I wear the mask to hide the scar that ruined that... because it feels like I've let her down again…"

"You didn't let anyone down….you saw the light Eret…" she replied, moving her hand to the back of her head and removing her own mask.

Heather's eyes showed clear as day now, Eret smiling softly at her. "You did the right thing...and now at least I know I can trust you…" she says as he looks to his own mask once more, pondering over what to do next.

"Wear the mask... remember Emily however you see fit...but do that with us, while serving justice to the people that brought her there.."

 ** _(Henry Haddock's Apartment)_**

Gustav grunted softly as a wooden staff was swung at him, the teen moving his arms into an X-formation to block it as best he could. He had a few bruises from the training session- that and many more.

He and Hiccup had been training together for the past three weeks now, and Gustav had become quite the quick learner. Hiccup had also noted that the boy enjoyed pranks and joking around. A bright attitude was always a good thing to have in this profession.

But it was also kinda annoying.

"Ya know, I've been attacked with a bo staff so much I'm starting to gain a fear of sticks." He remarks as Hiccup spins on his left heel and thrust the staff outwards in a motion barely tracked by Gustav's eye. Just barely, Gustav managed to block that aswell.

"You're getting good at reflexes." Hiccup notes as he doubles back, spinning the staff overhead before launching the weapon toward Gustav, then rushing behind it.

Gustav had to be swift, he'd learned that within the first week. In a rushed motion, he slapped the staff aside and lept to his knees, dodging the overhead kick that Hiccup had planned to launch his way.

He rolled onto his back and brought his knees up, then launched himself to his feet to regain his position. He brought his arms up into a defensive stance and watched Hiccup closely, the older man moving in a circle around Gustav.

He then rushed the teen once again, Gustav ducking a palm strike aimed at his chest and lunging towards Hiccup.

As he connected with him, the both of them rolled back onto the floor with Hiccup bringing his feet up to his chest and kicking Gustav off of him and onto the couch nearby before leaping to his feet with ease.

"You're getting pretty good at this." He notes as he walks over to Gustav, who crosses his arms over his chest and huff's. "Still not good enough to go out into the field…." the teen complained

"True...but you'll get there soon. I give it about two to three more weeks honestly. You're really good at combat, Gustav." Hiccup notes as he walked towards the kitchen,grabbing two bottles of water and tossing one to the teen as he sulked on the couch.

Gustav launched his arm out, grabbing it and twisting the cap off before chugging it down. "You really think so? That soon?" He asks as he turns to face Hiccup, a look of hope plastered upon his face now.

"Oh yeah, definitely. But we're gonna need to go over a few things other than just combat. Situational awareness, reflex training, muscle endurance, lung endurance, agility training, investigative awareness…"

As Hiccup listed these things, Gustav audibly sighed and fell onto his back.

"And then there's the matter of a name and suit."

He perked up once more, raising up to look over at his mentor, who merely smirked at him. "Oh I've got all that prepped already, I'd rew up a design and made up my name!!" He said as he rushed over to Hiccup, vaulting over the counter that divided the kitchen from the living room and landing next to the man.

"Really now? What are you gonna call yourself?" He asks, his interest having been piqued now. He downed his own water and tossed the empty bottle into a waste bin nearby as Gustav smiled.

"Fanghook...it's based off of the late Hookfang. My suit is different though." He said, watching as Hiccup visibly tensed up for a moment.

But then he smiled "That sounds cool to me." He says finally, turning to Gustav. "Now then, let's get some pizza." He says as he walks towards his phone which sat on the counter.

As he went to pick it up, it began to ring with an unknown caller icon appearing. He lifted an eyebrow as he looked at this, sliding the green icon across the screen to answer the call and pressing the phone to his ear.

"Hello?"

There was no reply, just the sound of breathing. Ragged, tired breathing at that. "I've got a hostage situation here... it'd behoove you to do something about it…" a disguised voice spoke, taking Hiccup by surprise.

"I'm sorry...what?" He asks as he tenses up once again.

"I didn't stutter. 225 Alleyway Boulevard. Bunch of human trafficking holed up in an abandoned complex." Was the voices response.

"Who is this?!" Hiccup asked as the voice chuckled for a moment. "I'm just a fan… a fan with information. You should probably hurry detective. The people are waiting."

The man hung up then, leaving Hiccup to stand there in a mixture of shock and confusion. He looked to Gustav for a moment, then walked over to the wall panel that housed the elevator. "I gotta go. Keep watch up here in case Astrid or someone shows up." He says, entering his code and getting into the device, leaving Gustav in confusion.

"Um...alright then." He replies as he watches his mentor leave. It's ten at night, he expected him to leave soon, but not like this.

As the elevator made it's descent, Hiccup tried his best to wrap his head around the situation. If he showed up to the address, he could very well be walking into a trap set by the Caller. But what if it really was a tip off about a hostage situation?

He couldn't change it, and decided upon messaging Gustav with his location and links to Astrid, Heather and Eret's phone numbers just in case things get out of hand.

His phone was rigged to automatically send a signal to Gustav in the case of his capture, letting the boy know to assemble the others and move in.

He took off, his car roaring to life as he took to the streets of Dragon's Edge , his GPS locked onto the address he'd been given. As soon as he arrived, he could tell the situation may have been real.

It was an apartment, an old and rundown one at that. It had been shut down years ago, and yet there were people inside. He made his way to the third floor, which housed life and kept silent as he stalked his way down the hall.

There were about six doors linings the hall, with one more door at the very end , facing him. It was locked down tight, several heavy locks set in place to keep someone out, or something in.

Brief pause and scan of the area with his enhanced senses revealed a good bit of life signs inside, about twelve. And they all seemed scared- hearts pounding rapidly. All of these came from the door straight ahead.

He continued to look around, finding more and more people, but all of them either calm, happy or drunk. He grit his teeth in anger. Those first few lifesigns were a mix of both old and young alike. By focusing his hearing, he could make out the heart rates of children and teenagers, a few adults as well.

Hiccup walked the halls, not even donned in his Night Fury suit. He'd taken to the building so Detective Haddock, complete with badge, brown leather jacket, white button up shirt and jeans.

As far as he knew, the caller only knew him as the detective, so having Night Fury show up after getting his call would seem off. He gripped the pistol kept attached to his belt carefully, even though he wasn't going to fire it any time soon.

He looked to the first door, hearing the sound of "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go" starting to play on a speaker.

"Dammit…" he muttered as he stalked down the hall, turning to the first door before plunging his left foot forward and kicking it off of its hinges with ease. He watched with an emotionless face as the few men behind the door lept to their feet, ready to fight.

Four men stood there, around a round wooden table in a small apartment. They were playing cards in the dining/kitchen area, while ignoring the people they kept held up down the hall.

 _{Jitterbug}_

"DEPD, put your hands up now!" He shouted, pointing his gun at them with one hand and flashing his badge either the other.

 _{Jitterbug}_

The men looked to one another briefly, before lunging at Hiccup.

 _(Jitterbug}_

He actually smirked at this and ducked a swing from one man as another tackled him into the hallway.

 _{You put the boom boom into my heart, you send my soul sky high when your loving starts}_

As they collided with the floor outside, Hiccup brought his knee up swiftly, right into the man's crotch and head-butted him in the nose, breaking it on impact. As the man sunk down, he pushed him off of him and lept to his feet, being met with a baseball bat swinging his

way.

 _{Jitterbug, into my brain}_

He narrowly avoided that one, lurching back before grabbing the man by the wrist and twisting it back in a swift motion, breaking it. He watched as the bat dropped from his hand and caught it with the edge of his foot, kicking it into his other hand swinging it at the back of the man's head to bring him down.

 _{It goes a bang bang bang til my feet do the same.}_

Hiccup watched as he crumpled to the floor, turning back as the last two men kicked him back onto the wall, one of them reaching for his pistol as the other grabbed at bat that he'd just dropped. Hiccup kneed the man he tussled with currently in the stomach, taking his breath away long enough for him to tackle him to the floor.

As they connected with the floor, Hiccup swiftly arose and sweeper the other mans heel, taking him to his level. As he approached the floor, Hiccup lunged outward and grabbed the mans neck, swinging him back towards him before planting him headfirst into the floor.

He kept to his feet, kicking the bat into his hand once more and swiftly turning, cracking it down onto the chest of the man he had tackled previously. With those four down, he began to move to the next door, remembering to pick up his pistol beforehand.

He was surprised none of the others had arrived upon hearing the ruckus outside.

 _{Wake Me up, before you go go don't leave me hanging on like a yoyo}_

He burst into the next room, immediately throwing the baseball at the first man he saw. He stumbled out of the way as a man lept to tackle him and allowed him to dive headfirst into the wall before pulling him back and sending three swift yet powerful punches to his face, releasing his shirt to allow him to sink to the floor.

The man he'd thrown the bat at pulled a butcher's knife off of the counter nearby and rushed towards Hiccup, being met with a palm strike to the sternum that shocked him and caused him to drop the knife. As it hit the floor, Hiccup grabbed the man's right arm and performed a backflip, bringing the man to the floor while simultaneously breaking his arm.

He then came to his feet, kicking the man in the sternum one last time before inspecting the room he and the other has came from. It was just them.

One room left. Hiccup looked around the kitchen of the room, an idea coming to mind. As the men behind the last door conversed amongst one another, all six of them stopped as the door was soon knocked against.

They looked at one another before one of them opened it up, seeing the Auburn haired figure smiling as he carried...a microwave?

The microwave was sent flying into the man's chest, and he went flying back with it. Hiccup lept into the room, starting a riot of sorts for the five men who were still standing.

He lunged onto one of them immediately, grabbing him by the waist and forcing his head into his chin, forcing the man's own head upwards. Hiccup turned swiftly on his heel and drove the man down into the floor and over his shoulder.

As soon as he hitnthe floor, a frying pan of all things was flung his way. Easy as hell to avoid, but Hiccup being ever the opportunist, grabbed the wrist od the attacker and drug him to the floor with him, lurching his hand back to release the payment and slamming it into his face.

He arose to his feet then, the last three men left standing finding their best weapons : a kitchen knife, a baseball bat and a 2x4.

"Seriously? Great value weapons at their best." He comments as they rush him, one of them grabbing his left arm as another grabbed his right and they pinned him to the wall.

He feigned struggling, attempting to get free while, in actuality, allowing them to pin him down. He looked on as the man with the bat approached and cocked his arm back, swinging the bat towards his head. Hiccup ducked swiftly, allowing the bat to connect with the side of the head of the man to his right.

Right arm free, he punched the man holding his left and grabbed at the other man's bat, slamming his palm into the man's chest and knocking the wind out of him.

With him dazed, Hiccup swung the bat at his head and took him down. One man left standing.

The other man recovered from the punch and saw that the others had been taken out. He looked to Hiccup, who spun the baseball bat in his hand.

"...shit.." he said as Hiccup smirked and approached him.

(Thirty minutes later)

Each man was being carried into a squad car, and the people they'd been holding prisoner were being questioned by police. Hiccup looks on as Tuffnut approached him, offering a fist bump to his friend and fellow DEPD worker, who returned the gesture.

But as they carried on, a hooded figure stalked them from several buildings away, a pair of binoculars offering excellent sight of everything.

He grunted softly as he set them aside and picked up a phone, dialing a number and awaiting an answer.

Hiccup looked as his phone rang in his pocket, and answered it quickly. "Good job detective. I was half expecting you to don your pyjamas and handle them, but this works just as well...you're still the same after all these years it seems." The modulated voice says, Hiccup gritting his teeth gently.

"Alright, who the hell are you?'' he asks, growing even more impatient as time goes by.

"A friend.." was the response,before the line went dead. The hooded figure smirked as he picked up a red and black themed helmet, sliding it over his head before placing his hood back on.

The eyes of the helmet glowed an orange tint as the black dragon teeth design began to glow with the same color. He adjusted his black plated vest, the red hood he wore having been sewn into the back of it. His large arms were left bare and exposed, the short red sleeves that were fixated on the vest covering only his shoulders.

He looked to his black and red gloves, and reached into his back, feeling the sheath and the katana he'd carried with him was perfectly placed for combat.

Finally he loaded two Desert Eagle .50 Cal handguns, with minor enhancements and an Armalite AR-10 A-2 semi-automatic rifle, the rifle was soon strapped to his back. His dark red zylon/kevlar stitched pants fit his form as well as the vest, he stomped his black combat boots down gently into the rooftop as he moved to a better position.

He got into a kneeling stance, glaring over at Detective Haddock as he got into his vehicle. "Found you…" he utters to himself as he turns around, exiting the roof.

As the detective made his way back to his home, he tried to piece together the mystery that had arisen during this day. A mysterious caller giving perfect information on a human trafficking ring, and claiming to be a friend? It didn't seem right at all.

He was going to get down to the bottom of this. He decided that s he entered his apartment, giving a wave to Gustav who rolled off of the couch and began following him to the elevator.

"You going out again?" The teenager asks as he bites into an apple he'd been eating, Hiccup momentarily disregarding his words before replying. "Staying in and doing some research."

Gustav nodded "Ah….lame." he replied as Hiccup looked to him for a moment before getting into the elevator, Gustav hopping in behind him.

"What kinda research?" He asks as Hiccup presses a button to rush the elevation process. "Gonna trace the weird caller. Or at least try to."

The tracking process was incredibly easy- the phone that had been used wasn't guarded by any form of technology whatsoever. It was left open to anyone to trace, and that's what he did.

The Night Fury had found that the signal came from an apartment in the Upper West Side, and took to the streets once more to investigate.

"Third floor, room 303." He noted as he hung onto the ledge of the window, sliding a shuriken beneath it to lift the latch and pushing it open. As Night Fury set foot into the building, he was met with a loud bark- turning to see a large black dog running his way.

He sighed as he thrust out his left arm, causing the dog to bite into his left gauntlet and get stuck there. "Easy boy, I'm not gonna hurt anyone." He said, scratching the dog behind it's ear in an attempt to calm the beast down.

This seemingly worked, as the crazed animal began to whimper softly and released his grip, landing onto his feet as Night Fury petted him. "I knew you were a good boy... actually I didn't.. didn't know you were even in here." He says, casting a glance off to the side as he walks around a bit.

After flipping on a light switch, he finds himself staring at an entire wall covered with newspaper clippings, blurry pictures, articles and more- mostly of Night Fury, Windshear, Astrid Hofferson and Hookfang.

Some were about a secret underground experimentation . He'd definitely need to go further into researching this, starting with using his mask to capture an image of it all for later. Once done, he looked to a wooden table that housed a pistol, picking the weapon up and analyzing it for fingerprints.

"Clean...smart." he noted as he sat the weapon back down and turned to the canine behind him, which merely watched his movements.

"Your master left you here?" He asks as the dog walks over to him. Night Fury sighs softly and continues his search of the building, finding nothing out of the ordinary. Until he reached the refrigerator- finding a small explosive placed inside.

"Wow… I did not see that coming." He said as he went to take it apart, finding a timer set to go off within about thirty seconds. "Oh come on!" He shouted angrily as he turned on his heel and rushed towards the dog, grabbing it before leaping out of the window and grappling onto the roof across the way.

The explosive went off, smoke filling the apartment as the blast tore the refrigerator apart, and left a large burn in the corner of the kitchen.

"Low level explosive, definitely not meant to kill… maybe to stun?" He wondered aloud as he set the dog down onto the roof, the animal growling lowly as he surveyed the damage himself.

He looked at the German Shepherd for a moment, sitting down next to him and smiling gently. "So...you got a name?" This seemed to draw some reaction as the animal just gave him a look of confusion before looking at the apartment once more.

"Guess not.." Night Fury said while looking at the damaged gauntlet that the dog had bitten into. "You've got a helluva bite though" as he looked closer, he noticed a lot of spacing between the bite marks.

"You uh, you're missing some teeth aren't ya? I oughta call ya Toothless or something.." he says with a chuckle, the dog looking at him for a moment upon hearing this.

"You uh, think that'd work?" He asks, the canine merely licking his cheek in response. He nodded "Toothless it is… maybe you can help me figure out who this mystery caller is then bud.."

And so the Night Fury had made yet another friend, and possibly another enemy. The time he planned to spend solving this mystery was being set up, even as it seemed his hectic life kept growing worse and worse.


	7. The Immortals

A young dark haired figure struggled to gain freedom from the bindings that held him down to a cold, metallic table. His eyes darted around the unfamiliar room, searching for signs of anything or anyone he knew. It was then he saw it, the old man coming closer to him.

"Christ lad, quite a number was done on you it seems…" the voice spoke, the ugly old figure analyzing him closely.

"What's your name then?" He asked, the boy sweating bullets as he stumbled over his own words. "E-e-Eret… Eret Eretson." He says finally

"Eret… I'm Doctor Mildew, I'm here to help. It seems you and your parents were in a car crash, a very brutal one." The old man says as he picks up a clipboard and reads over the papers clipped onto it closely.

"A chemical plant. That's what your father drove into- a bit wild isn't it?" He asks, Eret struggling to breathe now as he felt the blood running down his lip from his nose once again. "Fourteen...such a young age for such a tragedy to strike…" the man began, feigning contempt for the teenager who laid before him.

"I'm sorry lad, your parents didn't make it. But you did, just barely. Seems you've become somewhat radioactive, hence the green glow to your veins."

"W-what? N-no…" Eret replied as he looked down his body, finding glowing neon green veins protruding all over his body. His body had been damaged fairly badly, his forearms torn apart to the point where the bone could just barely be seen.

His legs bled heavily, though he couldn't feel any of the pain from them. That was due to his spine having taken massive damage.

"You're lucky to be alive… you're paralyzed right now, but no worries. I'm going to fix that." Mildew replies as he slides a metal case onto the surgical table next to Eret, opening it up and pulling out a vial of green fluid with a syringe connected to it.

"This will serve as an anesthetic… side effects may vary.." he says, pushing it into the boys neck and receiving a loud scream of pain in response as the boys entire body began to glow a bright green.

"AHHHHHH!!!" his screams rung out and carried throughout the entire facility. Mildew cut into parts of his body in ways he'd never even thought of imagining, replacing bones, some that weren't even damaged, with metallic structures.

By the end of the week, Eret looked as good as new, the cybernetic enhancements to his body unable to be seen- unless by x-ray.

By x-ray, all that could be seen was a skeleton fully composed of metallic and bionic enhancements- His real skim having been replaced with a synthetic coating to shield the new additions to his body.

Eret moved and felt like trash, his new spine allowed him much more flexibility than it had before, but his anger had reached its peak.

He tried many times to end the old mans life, finding himself being unsuccessful due to a installation in his body that shut his whole skeletal system down, leaving him a victim to the old man's words.

"Worthless cur!!" He'd shouted. Three years had gone by and Eret had tried once again to end his life, only to be met with the floor and Mildew's size nine boot flying into his face, hitting with a loud thud as it met the metal skull.

"I brought you back into life! I fixed you, you were broken, a living microwave that couldn't even walk!! I FIXED YOU AND THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY ME!?!" The man shouts as the Seventeen year old grits his teeth, mumbling.

"Er… what was that? Speak up boy!!" Mildew yelled, Eret lifting his head.

"I said… you should've let me die… death would be preferable to being here with you people…". It seemed the young man had allowed a few stray tears to escape his eyes at the moment. "I would rather DIE than be this monster you've made me into...every day I live knowing that I'm not human, knowing that I should've died with my parents...knowing that you selfishly prolonged that and for WHAT?!? so you could have some sort of bionic errand boy?!" He shouts at Mildew, his arms slowly gaining motor function once again and pushing him into a front leaning rest position.

"I swear on my parents' graves...I will fucking murder you Mildew.. I will make you regret the day you did this to me. I will be your reckoning." Each word carried a cold and slightly sadistic tone behind them, Mildew left to watch with his mouth agape as Eret moved to his feet, and stumbled his way.

He pressed the button on the center of a small black control device, but got no effect. Eret reached out, snatching the old man by the throat and lifting him off of the floor.

"You did this...murdered me.. I could've died somewhat peacefully...but instead I lived to suffer a fate worse than death itself."

The pressure began to build around the man's throat, the ability to breathe becoming ever restricted as each second passed by.

"E-ret!" He tried to appeal to the young man as best he could, being met with eyes glowing bright green in return, Eret's palms flaring with the green energy again.

"You'd better be lucky...I need you alive.." he says, dropping the man to the floor. "But just know from here on out, I call the shots.." he says, turning away from the man. For the past three years he'd out up with him, finally able to break from the control of his programming.

"W-what?! Are you joking? There's nothing to even be do-"

"You run a science lab under the guise of a government hospital… I want to know who you work for. No one, does the things you do, without justifiable cause." Eret says, stopping and turning to face Mildew once more.

The old man stared at him, a grimace upon his face. His face was briefly stricken with fear as Eret's flashed with anger. "I can't reveal that...not yet at least.." he says, moving slowly to his feet and watching as Eret stormed over and grabbed him again.

"You'll tell me. Or I'll burn a hole into your FRICKIN HEAD!!" he shouts, the radioactive energy flowing in his eyes and his hand once again. Mildew chuckled "You can't….you need me. Remember?" He asks, Eret allowing his eyes to widen ever so slightly before slamming the man into the wall behind him and dropping him.

"Sadly. You're right...no one else knows how to keep my skeletal system in check...or how to update the system that keeps my heart pumping…" he sighs, turning and walking away as Mildew , in a dazed state, said.

"Maybe in three more years...I'll take ya to em...maybe.."

Eret stopped there, his head lifting slightly as he released a breath he'd held in.

 **(Detroit- Meadowgrove Cemetery)**

The tall, leather jacket bearing form of Detective Haddock stood in the middle of a field of tombstones and statues, eyes fixated upon the large tombstone that stood six feet from him. A bouquet of flowers had been set there, replacing the old ones that had been lost to time.

He just stood there, eyes reading over the words over and over again. {Scott "Snotlout'' Jorgenson, friend, son, warrior to all.}

He smiled as he read this, remembering his funeral and the amount of people that had shown to pay their respects to Detroit's best high school quarterback. The smile faded soon after as he cleared his throat.

"Hey Snot...been a while." Hiccup begins, kneeling down before sitting onto the ground. "I miss you cuz….we all do." He took in a deep breath. "Been kinda lost without ya to be honest..haven't seen Franklin in years, God only knows what's going on with him. But I know he misses you too, wherever he is."

He sighs for a moment, struggling to find the proper words needed for the time being. It was hard, a struggle at its finest to say the least. "What more can I say that hasn't been said already? I wish I could've done something...helped you somehow… but I couldn't. I really and truly an sorry for that."

… I wish I could've done something to save you. I'm sorry for that." He says, running his fingers over the letters of the headstone.

A smirk crept onto his face. "Heather still missed you… everyday. Can't blame her ya know, I do too." He drew back, leaning back slightly and laying onto the grass, staring up st the blue sky above him.

"First Mom, then you. Now this thing with Dad and this Drago guy… things are tough right now. But I got some people, friends to help me through it." He says, sitting up to meet his cousins grave once again.

"Heather of course. I've got Astrid, from work. She's pretty cool, but of an anger issue though. I've been training a kid, Gustav. He reminds me so much of you, even was inspired by you. And then there's Eret, he's a bit shady but he recently told all of us exactly why he's doing what he is… so he's cool with me." He said with a nod as he gently hit onto his bottom lip and stood up.

"I've got a lot to do, and a long drive back to Dragon's Edge. God only knows what the DEPD is thinking right now, I haven't been in since the day before yesterday, made a pretty big arrest though." He turned away, assuring he had all of the items from his pockets still in place.

"There's this weird guy. He calls with crimes and stuff… and just leads me to them. I almost had him…. almost." He sighed at the thought of the Caller and began to walk away.

"See ya next time cuz." He says, approaching his car and eventually driving off. The detective, as clever as he was, didn't realize there were wires buried throughout the cemetery and running back to a terminal about 100 years away, cameras hidden throughout allowed a video feed to be sent through to a red hooded figure.

"Hmm…it's time." He said with a nod as he pushed away from the computer screen and rose to his feet, the orange eyes of his helmet glowing as he stared out of a window and began to walk off.

 **(Warehouse)**

Stormfly hovered over the ground, beams of electricity launching down into the floor of the training area as Windshear kept out of the way of each one, a blindfold wrapped tightly around her eyes.

A few feet away, Gustav who wore one of Hiccup's old stealth suits along with a blindfold, did the same. He wasn't nearly as precise or as quick as Windshear, but the boys reflexes and natural hearing capabilities had skyrocketed in his training.

Eret watched as they moved and began to fire bursts of energy off in several directions, keeping the power behind them to an extremely low level. They moved fast though, but these two beings seemed to be just as fast.

Until Gustav stumbles and took a shot to the chest, the padding in the suit shielding him as he was thrust back onto the floor with a soft "Oomf."

Windshear cartwheeled into a one handed hand stand, then brought her slender legs back to the floor as she removed the blindfold and looked over at the recovering boy.

"Ow… that was awesome!!" He shouted as he took off his blindfold as well, watching Astrid land nearby, wearing her blue and white tracksuit and no mask.

Heather allowed her crystal eyes to show clear as day as Eret walked over, helping the teen to his feet. "Kid you are really good at this."

"Hiccup says I'm determined!!" He shouts happily as he gives a thumbs up and a cocky grin, Eret chuckling to himself as he looked to Heather and Astrid . " I gotta agree." Heather says as she and Astrid walk over.

"Ya know I saw Hiccup moving some sulking and Kevlar in here recently. Might be for a certain someone's suit." Heather says as she ruffles Gustavo's hair, a goofy grin arising on his face.

"Really!?!? Yes!!" He shouted as the adults chuckled. It was a wonderful sight to them, to see a young man so skilled and so dedicated to what he was being trained for, so ready and willing.

Eret's smile fades into a grimace as a thought ran across his mind, Gustav's smile bringing up bad memories as he turned and walked away.

"I'm hungry." The radioactive man says as he approaches the computer and pulls up the Dragon Edge Pizzeria website. "Who wants pizza?" He asks as everyone raises their hands.

As they do, the lights suddenly shut off around them, Astrid sounding off with "Wasn't me that time."

The sound of metallic thudding alerted each of them, launching them into defensive and offensive stances immediately. Eret has noticed that the computer had been shut down as well, allowing his skin to glow a green tint to give some light.

Astrid chuckled at this "Oh I'm definitely calling you Nightlight now." She says, receiving a sigh in response.

"Better than Glowstick I suppose." He says as Heather walks towards the breaker box. She begins flipping the switches inside, and finding no reaction.

"Figures…" she says as she find her mask and draws out a razor sharp feather shaped projectile.

Astrid looked over, electricity crackling through her body as Gustav grabbed a pair of wooden practice sticks from a rack nearby.

"What's going on?" He asked, showing the slightest signs of panic.

Heather just stands there, a serious look planted upon her face as she activated her mask. "We're under attack." She says, watching as several canisters dropped down into the center of the training area, smoke bursting from them and surrounding them.

"Defensive maneuver four!!" She shouts as he leaps into the smoke and takes a stance, Astrid , Gustav and Eret doing the same and keeping a look out, their backs pressed to one another as they scanned the area.

Seeing through the smoke was impossible for everyone but Windshear, who moved them to rotate in a controlled motion, so her mask could pick up any potential threats from all around.

Soon she found one as a shot rang out and hit Eret in the left shoulder, the bullet melting upon contact with his skin but leaving a small bit of damage. "Ouch!!" He shouted as he launched an energy burst in the direction it had come from.

"He's messing with us, whoever he is." Windshear says, watching as a figure moved through the smoke. "Found him." She says, launching the Sharp Scale his way and grunting in anger as he swipes it aside with the barrel of his semi-automatic rifle, rushing their way.

"Ready...break!!" She shouts as Astrid takes flight, grabbing onto Windshear and lifting her up as Eret and Gustav turned on their heels, Eret sending out a minor level burst of energy in the form of an energy walk to hold the man back while Gustav rushed past the wall and lept into a spin kick, aiming towards his head as Astrid used her powers to force some wind into the area, clearing the smoke before dropping heather off next to the breaker box.

She went to work on the box as Astrid gathered the smoke and sent it out of the warehouse through the ventilations, giving Eret and Gustav a bit more of a clear battlefield. Eret's glowing body continued to offer some light for the attacking Gustav, who found his kick had missed and his leg had been grabbed.

He was launched across the room , only to land onto his palms and launch to his feet, grabbing his wooden kali sticks and preparing for more.

Eret looked to him for a moment, seeing the boy visibly shaking in the face of this threat. As he returned his attention to the attacker, he was met with a large fist barreling into his face and sending him stumbling back. His body flowed brighter as it released a small burst of energy which sent the attacker back, on his own accord.

He avoided the burst and rushed Eret's way, leaping into a mid air tuck and bringing a kick down into the shoulder he'd shot at earlier.

Eret grunted as he reached for the shoulder, being kicked in the back and stumbling forward afterwards. "I'm getting annoyed here!" He shouts as the lights finally come back on, Astrid looking his way and smirking.

"I'll tag in then." She says as he launches a small bolt of lightning towards the attacker, who was revealed to be wearing red and black including a red helmet which had an orange glow to its features and a red hood.

The figure went into a backflip and avoided it, launching both hands to his thighs and drawing his twin handguns as he landed onto his feet and opening fire on the airborne Astrid.

The bullets launched her way and would have been strucken with lightning- had they remained whole. Instead they broke apart and the pieces scattered, a thing wire net forming from the pieces and wrapping around her.

She looked at it in surprise as she struggled to release herself, finding that her body was becoming weaker and weaker.

"How in the hell!?!" Eret wondered as he saw this, another kick hitting him again- the base of his neck being struck with a large amount of force and sending him to the floor.

He rebounded from that instantly.

"Metallic skeletal system, gonna take a lot more than that." He commented as the attacker stood still, placing his hands guns away and drawing out his katana.

"I think I have a fix for that." He says as he rushes towards Eret, aiming to slice into the man's neck. As the sword neared him, it was blocked by a piece of wood, Gustav's stick stopping the attack before the other swung at the mans helmet and smacked him in the center of it.

"Lesson One: Weakness. Search for any structural weakness. Your helmet is made of a lightweight material, it can block a bullet but after that it's done for." The teen noted as he ricocheted one of the kali sticks off of the floor, leading it to crash into the left plexiglass eye of the man's helmet.

He lurched back slightly, a small crack appearing in the glass as he glared at the boy and grabbed the stick, breaking it in half.

"Hmph...you're smart kid. He made a good call with you." He says as he rushes his way and swings the Karan at his head, Gustav ducking before delivering a swift palm strike to his sternum that led to him brushing it off and slapping him to the floor.

"Gotta be a bit more observant though. Zylon fiber is a hell of a material." The man says as he looks down at Gustav, who looks up and gives a smirk to him. The man looks at him with a questioning look.

"Maybe you should be a bit of observant yourself pal." He says, the man looking down to his sternum and finding a small metallic disk on the spot he'd hit. "What the-"

A small explosion went off, sending the man flying back about twenty feet and onto his back, grunting in pain as he slowly rose to his feet.

When he arose, he found himself surrounded the heroes now, each one ready to attack. "Alright...guess I wasn't as prepared for this as I thought. Got what I needed though." He says, dropping another smoke canister which quickly filled the room.

Heather snapped to attention and scanned the smoke with her mask, finding no trace of the man anymore. "Damn!" she swore as each hero looked to one another, the smoke soon clearing out.

Astrid's eyes narrowed at the now clear room. "We need to tell Hiccup about this."

 **(Newport City)**

The man they'd just spoken of what preoccupied, his black gloved fist flying into the face of a man who made an attempt on him with a broken bottle. As the man stumbled to the floor, Night Fury lurched back and delivered a sharp elbow to another man's chest, bringing him to his knees for a knee to the face to finish him off.

As he watched this, two more men rushed his way. The sound of an object zipping past him alerted him momentarily, and he watched as the two men were soon caught into a small whirlwind and thrown about.

Night Fury turned around, finding a dark blue and red suited figure stalking his way, a dark blue uniform fitting her body with a red mask covering her eyes, showing only blue lenses.

"Knew I'd find you eventually." He commented as he approached the dirty blonde haired woman, who gently arched her back to remain loose and crossed her arms.

"What do you want?" She asks, a smirk playing upon her face. He cast a glance off to the side, looking at the unconscious men inside of the bar. "To talk...somewhere a bit more private maybe."

The woman flung herself onto a rooftop, climbing up and firmly planting her black rubber soled boots onto the roof, awaiting Night Fury's ascent. As the two positioned themselves upon the roof, the woman looked out at the beautiful city she'd been sworn to.

"Ya know, there's a lot of super powered beings showing up lately. Might be time to expand." Night Fury says with a small grin as the Runner looks at him, pulling the hair tie free from her head and allowing her shoulder length blonde hair to spread

She was much shorter than Night Fury, standing at 5'4 compared to his 6' figure. She looked up to him, literally. "Yeah, not gonna happen Hiccup." She replies, deactivating her voice modifier.

Night Fury gives a shrug at this "It was worth a shot Cami." He says as he approaches the edge of the roof and takes a seat, legs dangling over the side. "But I'm here to ask for your help in something."

Cami lifted a well trimmed eyebrow upon hearing this. "And what , does the great Night Fury want from little old me? I'm just a feeble track star playing dress up." She said in a somewhat playful tone as she smoothly went into a hand stand, on one hand, on the edge of the roof.

"You're the Typhoon of Newport. How'd u like to be The Typhoon of the World?" He asks, laying down on the edge. Cami merely gave him a glance as she sat down finally.

"Um...just the Typhoon is fine." She replies, slightly confused by his wording. He sits up , looking at her.

"I want you to join you team." He says finally, smiling as he sees the smile quickly burst onto her face. " A team?! Like a legit superhero team like the Avengers or the Justice League?!?!" She asks, her body visibly vibrating as she hears this.

"Yes, but real!" He replies with a gleeful shout as Camicazi takes off, moving just over 12,000 mps and circles the whole building before returning to her position.

"That sounds AWESOME! I'M IN!!" She says with a shout of joy as she leaps to her feet. "Let'sgoletsgoletsgo!!!" She says as Night Fury gets to his feet, pressing a button on his gauntlet which alerts his Nightcycle to pull up in the street below.

"I'll lead the way." He says, turning and somersaulting off of the roof, Cami's arms falling to her sides. "But you're so slow." She said, stretching her arms in the sleeveless suit she wore and adjusting the dark red gloves that went up to her elbows a bit before taking off behind the man's motorcycle.

 **(Warehouse-Later)**

Gustav watched as Eret swept away a large amount of scrap metal and dust into a trash bag, tying it up to be disposed of. "Man...how did that guy know where we were?!" Astrid shouts as a burst of wind escapes from area surrounding her.

Heather sighs as she watches this, looking to the computer. "The computer is still down somehow… not only that, but he saw our faces, he knows who we are."

Eret heads out the backdoor momentarily, dumping the trash bag before returning. "Yup, which means we're gonna have to work hard as hell to find out who he was and what he wanted..apart from us dead." He says as Gustav begins to hang upside from the rail on the staircase that led to the training area.

"Who knows? Maybe he wanted us alive." He suggests, to which Eret replies with an eye roll and walks towards the boy. "If he wanted us alive, he wouldn't have used live rounds I'm sure." He says, clutching his shoulder.

"Okay, that's fair." Gustav replies. Heather looks over at the two with a strange expression fixed upon her face. She seemed to be lost in her thoughts for a moment, fishing for the right thing to say in the moment- but there was so much rushing through st once it was hard to pick and choose. Finally she spoke up after much deliberation.

"He seemed to really want you Eret." She says, gaining the man's attention.

"Yeah, want me dead." He replies as Astrid walks over. "Aw, poor Glowstick has a hit out on him." She says, earning a look of disapproval from the radioactive man.

"Not...funny." he replies as he turns his attention back to Heather. "But you're right...it's rather strange honestly." He says as he begins to pace, Gustav lifting himself back onto his feet and backflipping over the railing to land next to them.

"I say we try to hunt him down!" He says, a bit too excited by the thought of it. The older heroes looked at him, then at one another, before giving a shrug.

"I think we should wait for Hiccup." Astrid says, getting a nod from the other two.

"Agreed." Eret says as he walks back over to the spot he's come to call his own, the workout bench and lays back onto it.

As this happens, the door slides open and Hiccup walks in, dressed in a black Nirvana tee shirt, some black jeans, converse, his dark brown leather jacket and his hands in his pockets.

"This is the Safehouse." He says, showing it to Camicazi who'd come in a shoulder length white blouse, a dark blue skirt and some blue flat shoes.

"And this is your team right?" She asks as she walks into the Safehouse, waving to everyone. "Hi! I'm Cami!!" She shouts , watching as Heather approached with a smile and scooped the shorter woman up into a hug.

"It's so good to see you again!!" She exclaims as Cami hugs back "You too Heather!" she exclaims with just as much excitement as the rest of the group approaches.

"Everyone this is Camicazi Bogburn, aka the Typhoon." Hiccup syas with a smile as he looks at his allies, then back to the overly excited Cami, who gave a big smile to each of them.

"Hi!!" She said, jumping slightly.

"Cami, this is Astrid, aka Stormfly. Gustav, aka Fanghook, Eret, aka...Eret-"

"Glowstick." Astrid cut in, Hiccup nodding as Eret shook his head rapidly.

"Glowstick." Hiccup said, causing Eret to sigh. "Just call me Nightlight..it's better…" he says, in utter defeat.

"Nightlight it is. " Hiccup says with a smile as Cami takes off in a blur of color, circling around each of the members of the group before coming back to Hiccup's side.

"Guys , Cami has been one of my best friends since I was little. We started out together, and now we're gonna be on this team hunting Drago together." Hiccup says, slowly noticing a faint smell of gunpowder, and a strong smoke.

"What uh...what happened here?" He asks as he walks towards the training area, getting down on one knee and running his fingers across the floor. "Smoke was released here. Heavy footstomps… like a chase." He turned his head, noticing the burn marks left from the lightning.

"Astrid was on the attack, and these are deeper and singed worse than her training attacks." He stood up, looking a few feet away. He noticed an even smaller detail, his enhanced senses revealing more than was shown.

"Someone was sent flying from this spot." He says, pointing to the faintest boot print, then across the room. "Had some form of armoring on, that left some small skidmarks from where he slid across the floor." He arose to his feet once more, looking to his friends.

"What happened?" He asks, noticing the odd looks they gave one another as Astrid stepped forward. "Someone attacked us. Shut down the lights, dropped some smoke and came at us with a Semi-automatic, handguns and a katana."

Hiccup's eyes widened slightly. "Any idea who it was?" He asks as they shake their heads.

"Muscular build, about five foot ten." Eret notes "Swung his sword with precision. Had damn good aim even in the dark."

"He wore a helmet too, the eyes and the design around them glowed orange." Gustav says as he approaches his mentor. "I managed to crack the glass in one of the lenses on it." He reaches into a pouch on his belt, showing the few shards he'd collected.

Hiccup nodded at this. "Take it to the research area. We can scan over and break down the compound, see where it's manufactured, maybe get a lead." He says, watching as Gustav nods and rushes off.

Cami let's out a faux cough. "Man, first day and the teams already been attacked? And I missed it?! No fair!" She says with a huff as she crosses her arms, Astrid smiling as she wraps an arm around her shoulder.

"Trust me, there's definitely more to come. Cause when we find this guy." She then notioned, slamming her fist into her open palm.

Cami smirked. "I like you Stormfly, got a feeling we're gonna make great friends." She then looked to Hiccup. "Now about that name."

Hiccup grimaced slightly "Is this really the best time?" He asks, Cami appearing behind him a second later. "Yes. When the team gets attacked, that's when it really starts to come together!!" She exclaims, Hiccup's mouth forming a straight line as a small sigh was released.

"Fine, we'll name ourselves..any suggestions?"

"The Revengers!" Shouted Gustav

"The Troop!" Came Eret as he walked to the workout area

"Nothing." Astrid said with a shrug as Heather walked past her.

"The Vikings?" She suggested, not sounding very sure herself.

Cami shook her head at each suggestion and pulled out her phone, rushing over to the computer and reactivating it with ease, then synching her phone with it's speakers. "Let's put on some thinking music, shall we?" She asks , getting a collective nod from the others.

The first song that belted out of the speakers was Fall Out Boy's Immortals. As the song played on, Hiccup smirked.

"The Immortals.." he said, Cami pausing the song and giving a thumbs up. "I take partial credit for that! Also that one is awesome!" She says, performing a cartwheel at the speed of sound.

"Immortals sounds cool." Astrid says as she walks over to a training dummy, Heather following with a thumbs up.

"Immortals?! Yes!" Gustav exclaims as he looks at the now rebooted computer and tries to load an online game on it. Hiccup smiles. "Alright. Then we're the Immortals.." he says, walking to the research area.

He pulled up the results of the scan, the smile remaining. "And we've got our first lead.. Ingerman Adhesives and Shielding company."

He turns to his friends, ready to go. "Let's move out."

The factory was dark, desolate and cold even. Night Fury landed on a metal overpass in the center of the floor looking down at several machines rigged for the creation of plastics, glasses and certain fibers, his mask was in a deep scan sequence.

He stopped, locking onto one of the open crates below. He lunged over the side railing and glided his way down to the center of the floor, landing in a kneeling stance before arising and walking to the crate he'd locked onto.

"Found the material. Form of new plexiglass, Ingerman is the first company to manufacture it. So this is where he got it. We just need a list of previous buy-" he's cut off as an explosion goes off from the next room.

He turns towards the area, seeing a hole having been blow into the wall and nothing but flames through the hole. He could make out a dark figure through the flames. Orange eyes stared back at him before stalking away- Night Fury immediately giving chase.

As he lept through the flames, he rushed towards the figure , noting his athletic physique and his speed . He was fast, but Night Fury was faster. He picked up speed, watching as the man did the same. It was a valiant effort, but a failed one. Night Fury tackled the man through the wooden door before them, both of them rolling out into the sidewalk as the flames behind them begin to engulf part of the building.

Night Fury wound up on top, lifting a fist to the helmet wearing man. "Stand down!" He shouted as the man chuckled.

"You think you have the upper hand I'll bet...still so gullible." He says, Night Fury looking on in confusion, that is until his body seized up. A small disk had been stamped onto his arm

{Bastard! He nailed me when we crashed into the street..} he thought as he fell to the sidewalk , the controlled shock targeting his enhanced muscles, weakening him further.

As his body seized, his senses were thrown off wildly. He could barely hear, his sight became blurry and his sense of smell weakened. His mouth opened wide, as he attempted to breathe and gather himself, failing miserably.

In his stunned state, his hearing began to increase just to put him through more pain- the sirens of the DEPD and the fire department blared loudly as they neared the location. They were just around the corner, he could tell as the sounds pierced his ears.

"It was good seeing ya, but I got places to be and people to kill." The man says, turning and rushing off from the scene. A few seconds after , he heard a sharp beeping and the disk fell off of his body and onto the ground.But then it was already too late, his healing ability was finally free to flourish, bringing him back to his feet just in time for the sirens to reach his location.

He panted slightly, watching as the police pulled to a stop, each officer bursting from their vehicles and aiming their weapons at him. Night Fury hunched over slightly, still recuperating whilst holding up a hand.

"He went that way!" He shouted as the officers kept their weapons trained on him.

"Hit the ground!!" One of them shouted, much to his dismay. "Dude I did not do this!" He shouts at the man, but the officer ignored his plea.

He sighed "Look I'm sorry but I can't do this.." he says, throwing down a smoke pellets and grappling away in the midst of their confusion.

He stood upon a roof now, watching as the officer who was seemingly in charge rushed to his vehicle. VIA his now repaired hearing, he could hear clear as day.

"This is Officer Hogun, putting out a warrant for the arrest of the Night Fury.. bastard set Ingerman's building ablaxe and took off."

And yet another sigh was released as he heard the report. Now he had to deal with this too. Great, as if his life wasn't hectic enough as is.


	8. The Man Behind The Mask

**(Berk- Four Years Ago)**

"There's an entire string of disappearances linked to a recent event in Canada. I'm not saying it's a big deal, but it's worth looking into." Hiccup argues across the vast dinner table to the large figure who sat at the other side, a whole turkey being half eaten before both of them.

Stock sighed softly. "Son what if something happens here while we're gone? That's on our heads then."

"Then call in the Force!!" He shouts back, all of his frustrations being released as he launches to his feet. "An entire town shaken by a little for virtually exploding then dying and that's not worth our attention- or anyone's attention?!" He asks as he looks to his father, who stood up then.

"I'm not saying that. I'm just concerned with our city."

"Dad you need to let it go, it was eight years ago.." He clutched his fists tight, knuckles nearly turning white as he did this. He couldn't believe his father would be so careless in the face of a situation like this.

"I left the Force for a reason.. I can't allow anything else like that to happen here." Is the man's reply as he turns away from the dinner table, making a move to leave.

"But anywhere else it's fine?" Hiccup asks , moving to follow behind as soon as he sees the man ready to go.

"I...no son I just."

"No way. I'm not gonna stand by while this happens. I refuse!" He shouts as his father moves to a stop, turning to him once again.

"You can't be a hero and just ignore all the cries for help, boundaries be damned!" Hiccup continued, hoping to get his point across finally.

"Fine!! Then go!!" Stock exploded, his rage shaking the foundation of the mansion as his foot stomped into the floor, leaving a small crater.

"I will.. I'm not going to let this go on." Hiccup replies as he walks out of the room, his father's voice belting out.

"Then do it! You're fired!!"

A brief pause halted all of his movements then, Hiccup stopping to take in the words that just escaped his father's lips.

"F-fired?" He asked himself, the words leaving his mouth slowly and in a soft tone. He shook them off and carried on to his bedroom, not staying or even looking to see as Stoick reeled from what he'd just said, not fully meaning it at all.

But it seemed it was too late, his son wouldn't talk to him after that he just knew it.

He'll talk in the morning.

Or so he thought. By sunrise, Hiccup had left the manor and was on a private jet set for Alberta, Canada.

As the young man stared out of the window into the clouds, the moment he realized he needed to be his own man replayed in his head over and over again.

"Fired… hmph." He muttered as he opened his laptop, pulling up a video chat log and calling someone he knew he could rely on for advice in the moment.

A few rings later and he was met with the blonde mustaches image of his fathers oldest and best friend, Gobber. Known to most as the Bionic hero , Forge.

"Hey Gobber." He said, watching as the man's expression twisted to that of a look of concern.

"Just spoke to ya old man. Now why ave ya gon and run off like that?" He asked, gettin straight to the point and watching as Hiccup shook his head.

"Restrictions. Paranoia… a lot honestly. He's holding on, he needs to let go Gobber. I know mom died during one of his missions with the Force, but I made peace with that. I blamed myself at first, I blamed him. But I realized I was wrong. I'm not gonna allow that to stop me from doing my job."

" 'Iccup you're head mechanic for your father's company."

" Not that job. Not that job at all. With my powers I feel like I can be much more than just a mechanic. I can research more, learn more and do better. I- I'm gonna become a detective." The young man replies, getting an eye roll in return from his Godfather , who was assuming this to be some sort of rebellion.

"You? A detective? I thought you disliked the law?" He asked as Hiccup looked towards the clouds once again.

"I do but sometimes you have to work with those you dislike. I've been studying the needed training and everything, as far as that goes I'll get through it with flying colors." He says, a small smile arising upon his face.

"I know you will lad, but please just call Stoick. He has a lot to say." Gobber looked at him with a look of sorrow, hoping to appeal to his greater sense of judgement.

"Eh. Maybe when I come back." He says, moving to end the video call there. He'd figure things out later, but for now his main focus was on this case in Canada.

He sat back in his seat, opting to call his best friend Frank. Frank always knew what was best, despite him being distant due to his studies at MIT.

He knew no matter what, their friendship would remain strong despite this.

 **(Safehouse- Now)**

The Immortals watched on the computer monitor as several black SUVs pulled up in the alley outside. A few SWAT vehicles followed suit as several armed men burst from the vehicles, weapons drawn and ready to go.

"We've been breached!!" Eret shouts as his skin glows a neon green, his metallic skeleton showing beneath it all and giving the appearance of a green version of the Human Torch with a skeleton glowing free for all to see.

"Dude you can transform?" Gustav asks as he pulls his mask over his nose and mouth, drawing his practice sticks and looking at Eret who have a shrug.

"I don't use this form often, looks weird as shit." He responds as Astrid nods while putting her mask on.

"Agreed, you look like a toy skeleton with a green flashlight shining behind it." She comments while taking flight, Heather and Hiccup turning off the computers after clearing all of their information and sliding several flash dries into their belts.

"Back exit, be quick with it. Cami we need evac of some of the gear." The Night Fury says to his friend, watching as the Typhoon nodded.

"I can move it but we need a new location and soon!" She replies as she picked up several weapons from a rack nearby.

"The Den, get it there. We'll leave the computers behind, they may have been tracked." He says as he looks to his minicomputer, watching as the men approach the garage door outside and prepare to enter.

He rushes to his Nightcycle, starting it up as Heather hopped onto her own motorcycle and did the same.

"We'll rally at the den." He says as Astrid and Eret take flight towards the back exit, Gustav throwing his hands up in frustration.

"Okay did I miss the briefing on Eret's powers or something?!?" He asks as he rushes to Hiccup, hopping onto the back of the motorcycle as they take off.

Within a few seconds, the safehouse was cleared just in time for the door to open up. As the police chief walked into it , he let out a groan of frustration.

"Grab those computers, see what we can find in them."

 **(The Den)**

The heroes sat in the Den , carefully surveying the streets of Dragon's Edge as Hiccup paced back and forth.

"The masked man. He did this, he had to have tipped them off." He says as Eret looks at an X-Ray device on a table. He passes it over his body and waits for a scan of his chest to appear, watching as a scan of his body came into view.

"Alright and I'm good." He says, looking st the small radioactive core built into his chest and checking to ensure it was still in a safe mode.

The others questioned this, but then began to ignore it as Heather walked to the computers, opening a new app on one.

"I'm gonna see if I can hack into the DEPD servers, maybe their cameras too. See what I can find."

Hiccup nodded as he heard this and sat down in his chair, finally allowing a sigh to release as he did so.

"I can't believe this. We need to find this guy once and for all." He said, watching as Toothless walked over to him and licked his face. This brought a smile back onto the Auburn haired man's face..

"Easy Toothless." He said as he began to pet the dog. The dog panted softly, then ceased as his ears perked up.

Hiccup did the same, striking to attention and turning towards the back corner of the Den.

"Show yourself." He said, drawing one of his shuriken out of his belt and watching as a dark figure moved from the shadows.

"Like what you've done with the place." He said, the same masked man from last night making his presence known to the Immortals.

It was nearly instant, the man finding himself pinned to the wall by Typhoon as The others rushed over.

"You're that weirdo psycho mask guy!" She shouted as she looked into the cracked lense of his helmet.

"Psycho? No way am I psycho. I'm just...enlightened." He says , using this as an opportunity. A second later, Typhoon began to seize up and fell to the floor, Windshear rushing to her side.

He looked at the dark haired woman for a moment, seemingly lost but quickly snapped out of it as a fist was launched his way.

He ducked beneath the Night Fury's strike and moved to counter with a palm strike to his chest, which failed.

Night Fury slid aside and brought his left leg down into the man's right ankle, bringing him to one knee before him.

"Who the hell are you?!" He shouted into his face, rage having built up in the past two days finally releasing.

The man's response brought a frown to the hero's face, as he released a cocky chuckle.

"I'm just a guy doing what's right. And ya know, fucking with you guys along the way." He replied , watching as Night Fury went to slap him and grabbing onto his wrist.

He pulled Night Fury his way, sweeping his leg from beneath him to bring him down to the floor before getting into a mounted position on top of him.

He lifted a fist upwards, which was quickly struck with a small bolt of lightning. He lurched forward and went into a combat roll before popping to his feet and taking a defensive stance as Stormfly approached.

Gustav and Nightlight looked on as they dragged the unconscious Typhoon to a safer area, the medical area to be exact.

Windshear stood by Astrid's side, drawing her razor whip and preparing for the worst. She stared the man down, and noticed a brief drop of his guard upon seeing her.

This brief drop was noticed by Hiccup as well, and he wasted no time sweeping his legs and popping to his feet before slamming his left foot onto the center of the man's back to keep him down.

"I've got a lot of questions to ask you pal." He says, driving his heel into the man's spine with enough force to crack cement. The man groaned in pain as this happened, taking up a stance on his hands and knees.

"Cut it out.." He began, leading hiccup to add a bit more pressure and yell at him "TALK!!" The venom behind his words being able to be seen even through his masked face.

The others merely watched as the interrogation began, Eret and Gustav attempting to resuscitate Cami as best they can. The woman's hyperactive body seemed to carry the controlled shock from the man's strange disk weapon better than even Hiccup.

And that was not good.

"I'm here to give you a fair warning… this place is compromised and it may or may not be because of that human microwave over there." He says, bringing an arm up to point at Eret.

"Pardon?" He asked as he began to make his way towards them. "The bloody 'ell are you on about?" He asks him.

"Your old boss… he had a tracker out into you , dumbass. And they've been looking for you like crazy." He says through strained words, the pain upon his back becoming a bit more overwhelming than he expected.

Hiccup looked to Eret, then to the man once again. "How do you know this?" He asks as he forced the man down a bit further.

"B-because I've been after him too. I used their systems to track him to you guys…" he replied, Hiccup grunting softly as he began to remove a bit of the pressure.

"And why are you after him?"

"To kill him obviously." He replies , quick and straight to the point. "Bastard deserves t for what he and his bosses did to me…" he says, taking a deep breath for a moment.

Hiccup shook his head "You were one of their experiments too…" he said, not expecting what came next.

The men rolled aside, lept to his feet and grabbed Hiccup , swinging around his taller form to lock him into a one armed choke hold from behind.

He slid a hand into his holster drawing one of his sidearms and pointing it to his head."I've been through a lot of shit. DEEP shit, and that fucker over there is one off the people who put me through it. I will have my revenge." He says, anger arising in his tone as he pressed the barrel to Hiccup's masked head.

"I REFUSE to let him escape me. I am going to end him here and now, and then when his boss gets here I'm putting him in a bag and sending them both upstream." He shouts into his ear , watching his movements and his friends movements.

"Let him go!!" Windshear shouts as she approaches, stopping as the man looked at her. "Stay there or I end him too." He says, pressing the barrel as deep into Hiccup's head as he could.

Hiccup kept a calm demeanor throughout it al", as his mask attempted to scramble the man's vocal disguise and find his true voice. So far it was working in patches, and what he heard was somewhat familiar.

"Look I don't wanna hurt him or you, but so help me GOD I will if it means killing that limey bastard over there!" He shouts to her, watching as she smirked.

"Oh I doubt some two bit street thug like you can do any real damage to us. You sure did good last time...not." She commented as the man's rage began to peak. The man's helmet lit up orange, the outline of the design on it firing off a blast of orange heat energy her way.

She cartwheeled out of its way and launched her razor whip, nailing him in the shoulder with it and causing him to drop his weapon. As soon as it hit the floor, Hiccup grabbed his arm and launched himself forward into a front flip, dragging the man along and slamming him into the floor with it.

He rolled over and got into a mounted position on top of him, wailing into his helmet and cracking the lenses even further. The man's heat attack seemed to draw a good bit of power from the helmet , as the orange glow soon died down.

Within a few punches, the helmet had dented slightly and the man grunted in pain as he attempted to gain an advantage once again. He managed to draw a small explosive from Hiccup's belt and set it off right in between the both of their bodies.

The blast sent hiccup flying back and left the man's helmet with nearly irreparable damage. His eyes showed clear as day now, as did part of his nose and mouth.

He slowly got to his feet, panting as he gripped his bleeding shoulder and looked to the heroes. "I led them here on purpose. I worked with Drago so that I could get you Eret, and when he gets here the grand finale will begin. Just you, me and him- no one else needs to get involved."

"You got us involved in it!!" Hiccup shouted angrily as the man shook his head. " I didn't mean to… but I had to do what I had to do. Shaking you guys off any way possible was included in doing that.." he states as he grunts in pain.

"For what it's worth...I'm sorry Hiccup… but I can't let him live after what he did to me."

"Okay slow the hell down. Who are you anyways?" Gustav asks as he steps forward, the boy having grown annoyed at the confrontation and watching his mentor get blown up.

"Who am I!? I'm the man that was dragged from his grave to be an experiment!! The man that Drago and Eret's boys poked and prodded until he burst back to life! I'm the man who's peaceful slumber was interrupted by a group of selfish bastards!!" He says, ripping the helmet off of his head

"I'M SNOTLOUT JORGENSON!!" He shouts, finally allowing his face to be revealed for all to see, hair flowing free as his stubble ridden chin displayed a few scars.

The whole room went dead silent, Eret even allowing his mouth to drop as he looked at the man, shaking his head slightly.

Hiccup stumbled forward, attempting to find the right words for the moment as he pulled his mask off. "S-snot…" he muttered to himself.

Heather shook her head as her eyes began to well up with tears, Astrid and Gustav's shocked expressions never once leaving their faces.

"Snot…" heather began as she walked up to him, analyzing his face.

Hiccup too began to cry as he saw this, running towards the man with a fist held high. He wanted to punch this twisted image, hit it til it stopped making him feel so dark inside. But as he connected with the man, he found himself instead hugging him.

"I-im so sorry…" he muttered as his cousin slowly hugged back .

"It's not your fault…" Snot replies , staring at Heather who rushed to hug him as well. Eret's eyes never left the scene before him, even as he carefully approached the three.

"I swear I didn't know he'd done that to you. I didn't know I just thought-"

"Thought I was just another of those innocent people they just kidnapped!?!" He asked with a shout as he broke from his hug to make his way over to Eret.

"I...yes…" was all he could say, as he watched the shorter man approach. He didn't even move to stop what came next, for he knew what to expect. He was hit with full force, feeling his nose breaking beneath snotlout's heavy hand.

He dropped to his knees and looked up, being met with a sharp knee to the chest that sent him onto his back, Snotlout then drove his foot into the man's chest and began to stomp down onto it.

Eret coughed slightly at this, but never moved to stop him despite knowing he could. The man's attack just continued with a barrage of punches nailing him in the face as he thought it to be over.

"You ruined me! I was fine! I was at peace! YOU BASTARDS RIPPED ME FROM THE AFTERLIFE AND THRUST ME INTO MONTHS OF SLAVERY AND CONFUSION! I didn't even know who I WAS for three whole months!!" his words spewed from his mouth with venom, the look of contempt upon Eret's injured face never once leaving, even through this assault.

"I didn't know that was you...I didn't know what had happened to you Scott...I never read news, or even followed events closely, and I sure didn't watch his experiment on you. I know I trained you, and I beat you and for that I apologise." Eret speaks, trying his best to appeal to the angered man, despite knowing he'd earned this attack.

The others merely looked on, never moving to stop them.

"I know what I did was wrong, everything I did was wrong...but that's why I'm here. I'm trying to make amends for the things I've done in my past, and it's damn near impossible to do so.'' he says, Snotlout'' bringing a hand to his throat and clutching it carefully, glaring into Eret's eyes.

"I don't care about your little road to redemption. I care about my life, and the things you did to me and other people. You don't deserve to live, God should've taken you off this Earth a long time ago!"

"I KNOW THAT!!" Eret screamed through strained breath. Snotlout's grip loosened slightly upon hearing this, a look of bewilderment arising onto the man's face. "I was supposed to have died fourteen years ago!! But it didn't work.." he said with a grunt.

"Mildew did this to me..when I was only fourteen. I never wanted this life, I WAS THRUST INTO IT JUST THE SAME!" He said, his body slowly gaining it's green glow as he removed Snotlout's grip and rose to his feet. He'd tried his best to refrain from attacking him, take the beating he'd earned. But he couldn't, not after hearing that.

"I watched my parents die in a car crash, a crash that should've killed me too. But instead I was taken by some men in white pretending to be paramedics and slapped and strapped down onto a lab table. All for some creepy old dude to cut me open and replace parts of my skeletal structure that didn't even need replacing…" he said, his bright form taking over now, metallic skeleton showing through his synthetic skin.

"THIS ISN'T EVEN MY REAL SKIN!!" he shouts as the energy flares around his body In the form of green flames. "So don't ever tell me that i shouldn't be here, because Lord knows that I know that!" He says as the flames die down, his skin returning to it's natural color after a moment.

The whole room had gone silent at this point, everyone just staring at the two during their confrontation, mixed emotions filling the air quickly. Hiccup moved , standing in between the both of them.

"You both have something against Drago, he's your common enemy here. So let's try to get him before going after each other huh? I don't care what you two do after we bring him in, but until then you both need to cool it." He said, taking control of the situation as though it were less than it actually were. This felt somewhat like a smack in the face to Snotlout , who scowled at his cousin and lurched back slightly.

"Cool it? Work with him? Are you insane?!! Do you know what HE has done to people? To me?" He asks with a shout as his anger begins to rise once more, Astrid walking over with an angry look upon her face now.

"I do. I was one of them. But I've heard him out, and I know he didn't want to do those things as much as they made him do them. You need to get that through your head, he's not the one who revived you nor is he the one that killed you. He was doing what he had no choice in doing." She says, jabbing a finger his way.

Eret looked towards the floor, a teardrop escaping his eye, which he quickly wiped away. "I thought I was free from Mildew's control all those years ago. I thought I was in charge...but that old bastard had more than one failsafe instilled within me." He says, looking to Snotlout as his hand glowed green, flames of the same color arising from his palm.

"The reactor in my chest, the thing that keeps me alive...he had a device to shut it down and reboot it at any given time…" he states, earning a look of confusion from Snot.

"And he used it alot…. I was legally dead about forty times throughout those years, lost what little control I'd managed to gain over him at the time.." the flames died down into his hand, the synthetic skin returning to normal as he looked to the opposing man.

"Drago and Mildew do that...they always have done that… I tried to figure it out, tried to gain control so no one else had to face the same fate and yet I failed- and became one of them against my will… I don't want to do that again.." he says as he turns on his heel and walks over to a chair , taking a seat.

Snotlout had a look of defeat upon his face now, dropping the stance he'd taken with a growl before dropping to his knees and slamming his fist into the hard floor repeatedly. "Dammit..dammit dammit dammit DAMMIT ALL!!" He screeched as he arose slowly to his feet.

"Now then..what was that you said about leading Drago here?" Hiccup asks after watching this small breakdown, and looking on as the darker haired man's eyes widened.

"I...I forgot.." he says, getting wild looks from everyone around him. Hiccup pulled his cowl over his face and shouted "THEY'RE HERE!"

His ears had picked up on the sound of heavy feet making their way towards their location, just a floor above them.

"We have to get out of here!" Astrid shouts as Gustav tries his best to resuscitate Camicazi, finally pulling the seizure causing disk from her body and watching as she jolted back to reality.

"Dear Bor that hurt." The speedster says as she clutches her head in pain, before looking around and quickly recovering. "What's going on?"

"We need to move out and now! Cami, take Gustav and Toothless and go upstairs, the sixth floor. Room 211- grab his mom and get them somewhere safe." Hiccup shouts over to her, causing Gustav to gasp gently.

"Wait let me help!!" He shouts over to his mentor, Hiccup shaking his head. "Help your mother!!" He says , nodding to Cami who nodded back and grabbed the teenager, much to his shouts of protest. The dog looked up to her, seemingly ready to growl at the stranger as she scooped him up as well.

"NO!!!" the voice carried out as the blur of the Typhoon took off from the area. Night Fury drew his bo staff and looked to Snotlout, who kept a stare onto the floor as he shook his head head.

"I was so wrong...I'm sorry Hiccup. I-"

"Save it for later. For now we have to-" a loud 'BOOM' resounded through the Den, debris being launched from the ceiling followed by a large burst of flame and ash. Several ropes dropped down into the hole that had been made, and some heavily armed men dropped down, immediately aiming at the heroes inside.

"Well….here we go…" Night Fury states as Nightlight enters his alternate form, Windshear and Stormfly taking up defensive stances as Snotlout loaded his Semi-automatic and took aim.

"Alright...Immortals ATTACK!" the cry was given and the heroes rushed towards the large group of Intruders.

 **(Elsewhere)**

It was just another Friday evening, which ended the same as any other evening. He had a routine , a perfectly planned out schedule for each and every day and he followed it by heart.

6:35 A.M., wake up and get ready for the day. 7:55,drive into work and clock in for 8:00-always being a few minutes early. Work on breaking down firewalls and receiving/tracking intelligence from other organizations until lunch, which was at 12. From 1:00 to 7:00, do the same thing as before and finally head home at 7:15.

7:30, walk to front door of apartment and unlock it, a takeout menu tucked under his left arm as he carried his suitcase in his right. He would walk into the same, quaint and well kept apartment at the same time every night. He'd pet the same pitbull every night, as she awaited his return with an empty bowl and a wagging tail.

But tonight was different. Tonight he wouldn't be able to plop down onto his favorite, and only, brown leather sofa and flick on his 52 inch plasma screen TV. Tonight, as the lock to his door clicked and the knob turned to allow him entry into his abode, he found himself looking on in a mixture of shock and confusion as a dark class figure sat in his lounge chair, emerald colored eyes staring back at him under the light of his lamp.

"Hey Fish…" The Auburn haired man spoke up , after what seemed like an hour of silence. The blonde haired homeowner sighed as he tossed his suitcase onto the couch and began to approach the unmasked Night Fury, closing the door behind himself.

"Hiccup, what are you doing here? And what the hell happened?" He asked as he got a bit closer to him, examining his suit and the damage it had taken. There were mild burn marks on his forearms and lower leg areas, aswell as cuts going across his chest-and his symbol- and down the right thigh, leaving his recently healed skin exposed.

Smudges of blood laid on his cheeks and his forehead, with a few having been poorly wiped away recently.

"Alot...I need your help." Hiccup says as he looks up at his old friend. "Sorry about the factory by the way, I'm sure your dad was pissed." He says In reference to the event that led the police to put a warrant out for his arrest.

 ** _BOOM! Enter Fishlegs and Snotlout. Though I'm sure alot of you already knew who to expect behind that mask. Now then- I want you guys to pose some questions for me- I like your feedback and wanna get y'all some aswell._** ** _Ask away. Xoxo_**


	9. The Next Step

Althea Sirius : Oh trust me. You'll be seeing Stoick's reaction to these events very soon. Hehehe

"It was almost a surprise honestly. The ceiling caved in and they dropped down, ready to go." He said, eyeing the mug of warm tea that sat on a coaster before him. He had to admit, the coffee table it rested on had a nice design to it- several Nordic inscriptions having been carved into its legs and gone over in golden trim.

Frank "Fishlegs" Ingerman always had a keen eye for good architecture. His best friend since middle school and trusted keeper of the family secret. He'd been his best friend and best advisor for thirteen years now, and Hiccup found himself coming to the man once again.

"Who were they?" Fish asked as he sipped from his own mug, the panting of the bulldog next to his feet momentarily drawing his attention away from the hero who sat across from him. He couldn't quite wrap his head around what he'd been told so far, tales of radioactive men, weather controlling cops and a revived Snotlout?

It all sounded like something out of a comic book to be honest. Origin stories abound.

"Remember Drago? The guy is told you about? It was his guys, Snotlout had been working with them since his revival in order to lure them into a trap. He wanted to kill them and Eret all at once… but his own emotions and a few other details threw that plan off the rails and led to him and my team getting captured." He says, leaning back in the recliner and looking up at the slightly chipped ceiling.

"Cami managed to escape with Gustav and my dog- oh I have a dog by the way- Toothless."

"Toothless? Odd name for a dog." Fishlegs replies as he picks up his own faithful mutt from off of the floor.

"This coming from the guy who named his dog Meatlug?" The dark clad hero responded, hints of a smile coming to his face as he looked over at the two,Fishlegs guffawing at the response.

"Hey! Meatlug is an excellent name!" He says with a playful smile. Hiccup merely nods in response.

"Anyways, I have to contact them and soon. But my suits been damaged and my minicomputer was taken out during the fight." His head began to hang low as he explained this, now moving over the floorboards.

"So you want me repair it? Cause honestly Hiccup there's a lot of items I'd need and I don't think you'd be cool with steal-"

"No… I need you to find a hidden frequency.." Hiccup replies, cutting him off in the middle of his statement. He looked up to his close friend, a look of contempt within his emerald colored eyes.

"It's a frequency in the Far outreaches of Berk… I need you to track it and send a message to it from your phone, it'll automatically add you to a trusted network of communicators…"

Fish looked at him awkwardly, pondering over what he'd just been instructed to do. "You can't be serious." He said, a hint of fear hidden behind his words as Hiccup nodded.

"I need you to track Thunderdrum…"

The sound of water running into a sink was all that could be heard throughout the large area. A heavy footed individual made his way across the floor and over to the sink, running his hands underneath the warm water and watching as the smudges of blood that stained them began to wash away. The red bearded figure looked up-staring into his own reflection for a moment and analyzing his own emerald toned eyes.

They reminded him so much of what he'd lost. Because he was arrogant, or because he was careless. But even still he fought on, having given it time and given him space over the years. Space to grow, to move out into his own and become his own man.

He was thrust out of his thoughts by the sound of his computer beeping. Stoick turned his head from the mirror and exited the well kept restroom, walking out into his personal hideout (a/n: imagine the BvS Batcave but with actual light).

He looked over to the large scale armored tunic that lay on the floor nearby, a few smears of blood freshly adorning the green colored material. The bare chested man walked over, his large fingers moving across the keyboard to intercept the signal that had just been sent.

"Dad….I need your help." He read the message aloud, a look of determination immediately arising upon the man's face. He began to message back, and as he awaited a reply, he began to clean his armor.

(The Thunderdome)

The underground base was hidden by several signal jammers and more, lead lined walls to prevent further detection. Hiccup had at one pint thought his father to be paranoid, but the more he focused and learned the more he realized he was right.

As he and Fishlegs stood on the elevator leading into the base, he bit his tongue softly. It had been a long time since he last laid eyes upon his father, four years since they last spoke in person. Whenever he moved somewhere, his father was always following. But he'd leave before even letting the man get the hands to see him. But somehow, Dragon's Edge was the difference.

What had drawn him there? Crime. But what made him stay? He could've gone anywhere, found work anywhere. So why did he choose there?

He began to smile as flashes of blonde hair and blue eyes made their way into his head . He recalled one of his many conversations with Heather, the topic being the same as many others since he'd moved there: Astrid.

Maybe she was right, maybe he really and truly did like Astrid… maybe more than that.

He was pulled out of his thoughts as the elevator hit the floor, the chrome doors sliding open slowly to reveal the Thunderdome in all of its glory. He clutched the black duffel bag that hung over his shoulder gently, him and Fish both walking out.

He casually rolled his eyes as he watched his childhood friend marvel at the various vehicles, weapons and suits that were inside of the Cave like structure, continuing his trek to the computer area. He sat his bag down beside the computer and pulled out the rolling chair, taking a seat.

On the corner of the large metallic desk sat a framed picture- three costumes images standing in front of the very same computer. He smiled softly as he looked at his ten year old self, accompanied by both parents- Thunderdrum and Cloudjumper, clad in a vibrant orange, red and light yellow themed suit similar to theirs, minus the cape.

His smile widened a bit at the memory,his mother never liked capes."Too bulky..they get in the way." She'd always say. Not like she was wrong, but the material used in their capes offered a good deal of protection from opposing forces.

It seemed he'd never get to be lost in his thoughts, as he found himself being interrupted once again. This time by the sound of large footsteps making their way towards him and Frank. He couldn't help but to feel nervous, trying to wait a moment before he turned around.

"Son…" he spoke first, Hiccup taking a breath before fully facing him.

"Hey dad…" He said, looking upon the face of the man he'd left four years ago. "It's uh...been a while."

Stoick rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, his eyes shifting off to the side to avoid making contact with the younger Haddock.

"Look, I'm sorry." The large man began, struggling to find and piece together the words he wished to say. "I didn't mean any of what I'd said… I was just frustrated and...angry."

"I get it dad." Hiccup interrupts, lifting his hands to stop the man from going any further. This was an awkward confrontation so far. They needed to cut straight to the point, and they needed to get there fast.

"I'm sorry I was so stubborn." Stoick said finally, after a good minute of contemplation over his next few order. These words seemed to be his best bet. Hiccup merely smiled awkwardly and approached the large man, wrapping his arms around his large frame as best he could.

Thunderdrum's vast form soon encompassed Hiccup, a smile upon his face. "It's okay Dad...I'm sorry I was so...childish about it."

"You moved out on your own...only took you twenty years but eh, who's counting?" He asked with a chuckle as he released him , allowing Hiccup to chuckle as well.

He gave a shrug "Yeah well. You gave me the push I needed...and I'd hate to have to ask you for help again...but I could use it.". Nothing more was said from there, as Stoick merely gave a nod , one that Hiccup returned.

(Downtown Dragon's Edge)

Gustav planted his feet firm against the ground as he dropped down from the fire escape, looking around the immediate area before carrying on any further. He held the ragged old backpack upon his back close as he ran down the dimly lit alley and rounded a corner to make his way to a rundown apartment. He entered through the back door and gave a small shout "Hey!" as he closed the door behind himself.

Soon a blur of color whizzed past him, and he found his bag being stripped away before he could even blink. Cami stood across from him now in her Typhoon suit, rummaging through his bag and dumping it out onto a table in the corner. "Not much huh?" She asks as he walks over with a shrug.

"I'm fourteen, how did you expect me to get medical supplies?" He asks with a small huff as he pulls the hood of his gray hoodie over his head and carried on, plopping down onto an old recline nearby. The small apartment had been their Safehouse for the past night and day, since they made their break from the Den.

Since they last saw the others. "It's been twenty four hours and still no word from Hiccup...we should be worry shouldn't we? Cause I'm worried." Gustav says as he scratches behind Toothless' ear.

"I'm worried too..about all of them. I don't know who got away and who….who didn't.." she replies as she sorts out the items he'd brought. It wasn't much but it was enough to ensure they'd be prepared- a first aid kit, some duct tape, some pencils with a notepad, a few boxes of snack cakes, some sodas and bottled water and some pieces of gum.

"What a kit." She says as she looks over the items before turning to face Gustav and Toothless. "Your mom's doing better by the way. Dragon General happily accepted her with Hiccup's insurance plan to back her up."

He smiled as he heard that, smiling more as the dog licked at his face. "Good… we never could afford an actual hospital bed for a night." He says.

Cami smiled as well , but that faded away as she thought more on the situation. "We need to find Hiccup...and we need to do it fast."

"You won't have to look far." A voice says, the heavy modulation coming out surprisingly clear. They swiftly stunned their heads towards the door, smiling as they lay sight upon the dark figure that crowds it.

There stood the Night Fury, in an all new suit and bearing a signature grin. He now wore a cowl that only showed his mouth (similar to Red Robin,as opposed to his previous Kid Flash based one), his usual space for his hair being concealed. Apart from that, everything else looked different than his original suit.

He wore a new suit, more armored than the original and bearing a dragon scale pattern to it. (Hiccup's Armor in HTTYD 3 basically. But add a sleek utility belt to it and a black cape that's red on the inside.)

The Night Fury's symbol shined a vibrant red on the center of his chest as he walked over to them. "We've got some work to do guys."

"Where the hell have you been?" Cami asks, ignoring the other, larger figure that made his way through the door. Fishlegs placed a metallic suitcase down onto a table nearby and walked over to them.

"Hey Cami." He said, getting a quick turn and smile from the speedster "Hey Fish." She swiftly turned to face the Night Fury once again, a look of sheer seriousness planted upon her face now.

"I was with my dad...getting some more gear and uh...reassessing some issues." he said, thinking it best to leave it at that. "Nevermind that now. We've got some friends to go save." He says, turning from her to face his protege.

"And I've got a gift for you.'' he gave a nod towards the table, or more specifically towards the case that rested on the table. "You'll want to open that up as soon as possible."

Gustav couldn't help but wonder what he meant as he walked over. His answer came in the form of a black, yellow and orange suit that was nearly folded into the case. This left the boy in awe, as his eyes ran over the details of the suit. He pulled it out of the case, looking even closer at it.

It matched the design he drew up perfectly- a two pieces suit that consisted of a black zylon breastplate and torso piece, which served as the main piece of armor and went down his front half. A black and orange sleeved top beneath the armored piece held it together, with the black cape connecting to the two small clips at the edges of his clavicle.

The pants were just the same- fitted perfectly to his body and comprised of a special fiber blend, they were orange with yellow lines darting down the sides. The top piece of the suit held a Tunic like design to it, with the black covering having two small flaps that cascaded over the top of his thighs like a tunic. The bronze colored utility belt went over the flaps, and the details within the black and gold plated boots topped it all off.

"Oh my Thor…" Gustav said, a look of sheer astonishment plastered upon his face as he looked at the suit. "It's time for Night Fury and Fanghook's first fight together." Hiccup says with a smile as Gustav looks over to him, simply left at a loss for words at the time.

He simply walked away with the case, leaving the adults and the dog to themselves. "You sure he's ready?" Cami asks as she keeps a small smile and watches as Gustav walks away into another room.

"As ready as he'll ever be. He's got a bit left to learn, but he picks up on stuff fast and he's learned enough for me to trust him out there." Hiccup replies, leaving Fishlegs with a look of confusion upon his face as he gave a subtle cough.

"So..you have a sidekick?" He asks, feigning a look of anger towards his best friend.

Hiccup gives a shrug in response. "Sorry man, the kid needed me." He says , giving a wave and a smile from Fishlegs "It's cool… so long as I get to be your guy in the chair." He says, giving Hiccup a pat on the back.

Hiccup chuckled at that. "Deal." He said, giving the confirmation Fishlegs needed.

"Yes!!" Came a shout from behind them, leading them to turn and face Fanghook as he approached them. "This is badass!!" The boy shouted as he performed a series of spin kicks and punches in the air.

The adults merely smiled at this,Cami and Fish looking on as Hiccup drew out something from behind his belt. It was a pair of escrima sticks, made of metal rather than the wooden ones Gustav used for training.

"Don't forget these." He says as he hands them over for the boy to inspect.

"This is amazing…" Gustav mutters as he begins to mess with them.

"There's a few small functions to them. Twist like so and position your hands properly and.." Hiccup demonstrated the motion as he described it, smirking as the sticks flowed a vibrant blue tone near the tips, electricity sparkling from them.

"Oh my Thor it's just like Nightwing!" Gustav exclaimed, getting a nod of approval from both Hiccup and Fishlegs.

"Kid knows his comics it seems." Fish says, getting an abrupt shove from Cami.

"Look, this nerd fest is nice and all but we really need to get a move on. We need to find Drago's base and we have no idea how." She says , arms crossing over her chest as she looked up at her friends.

"I have an idea on how actually." Hiccup says as he looks to Fishlegs, who lifts an eyebrow .

"Remember when I asked if you could track radioactive energy signatures?" Hiccup asking, hoping Fishlegs would recall.

He got a nod in response. "Yes...why?" He asked as Hiccup rapped onto the minicomputer in his right gauntlet, projecting an X-Ray image of a persons body.

"You're gonna have to track our buddy Eret. We know Drago took him with them and he'll be our best bet at finding them." Hiccup says as he quickly sends all of the information on Eret to Fishlegs laptop.

"Make sure to look for strange weather occurrences in small areas. That'll most likely give us a lead on Astrid as well. Make our chances of finding them even better."

"I'll get right to it." Fishlegs says as he moves to his laptop, setting it up on the table nearby as Night Fury turned to Typhoon and Fanghook.

"Let's go save our friends."

Location: An Underground Base in Canada

Astrid struggles heavily against the chains that kept her bound in the cold cement room, eyes darting around the room in fear of what would come next. Out of all of them she'd been the least calm when they were picked up and tossed into these cells, strange collars kept around their necks to prevent them from accessing their powers.

For those who lacked specific metagenic capabilities (Snotlout and Heather), they were instead being kept in mild contraptions, like metal straight jackets that had sensors that emitted controlled shocks and were chained to the floor.

Eret have a sigh of anger as he looked out of his cell at the dark figure that stalked his way, the familiar dreads and scarred face strumming up a feeling of rage rivaled by very few. Save for Astrid and Snotlout who actively growled upon seeing Drago enter the hall.

"So… a bunch of so called heroes, all mine for the taking." He says, turning to face Snotlout.

"Not to mention a few lab rats that got free..". The sound of spit being collected and shot his way from Snotlout was all that could be heard before the wet substance struck his left cheek.

He wiped it away, looking at him with a look of pity. "Boy, we made a mistake in reviving you."

"No shit Sherlock." Snotlout replies as he struggled with his restraints, finding the controlled shock function soon coming to life and taking him down.

"No worries though...we'll fix that mistake today." Drago says with an evil smile, moving a large arm to the right hip, grabbing a large hook from his belt and allowing it to show to all.

It was stained with dried blood, and there seemed to be a lot of it to say the least.

"You touch them and I'll burn you alive!" Eret shrieked from his cell, getting Drago to cast a glance his way.

"My old dog? I'd nearly forgotten you were here." He says as he walks towards his cell. "Welcome home I should say… I should say that to all of you." He says, turning to face every cell and stopping at Heather's, who sat there maskless and full of rage.

"Except you Miss reporter. You're new here so I'll be sure to get you properly initiated." He says with a smirk, causing Snotlout to buck wildly.

"You leave her alone you damned sadist!!" He screams at him, trying his best to stand against the current that flowed through him. Through strained movements, he put one foot flat down and attempted to push himself up.

He soon fell onto his back with the collars power being too strong for him.

"Ah, I will enjoy watching them dissect you, Jorgensen...sad that Mildew couldn't be here to do the deed himself." He looked to Eret .

"We had a funeral for him..lovely affair. Made sure to mention how you cremated part of him already.". Eret scoffed in response

"Should have done the same to you,freak."

"Sir! We have a breach!" Came a shout of a black helmeted man as he entered the hall carrying an M-16.

Drago looked to him, wondering what could be going on. "How? Aren't all of them here?" He asks, looking as Astrid gave a small smile.

"Not all of us." She says, Drago looked confused as about five more of his men entered the hall. "We need to get you to safety sir!" One of them said, all of them looking on in confusion as a small silver canister rolled across the floor.

It let out a burst of thick smoke, and a dark clad figure Came soon after, pulling men in and avoiding the oncoming gunfire they let out into the smoke.

Soon no one could see, or even be seen save for the dark figure that moved through the hall taking the men down and breaking bones in the process.

With the smoke clearing, all that could be heard was the firing of a grapple launcher and a brief groan.

Soon stood a shorter figure than expected, wearing black, orange and yellow and reeling Drago his way.

As the large man was brought in, Fanghook struck out at his ankles, taking him to his knees. "You're really ugly..definitely a Drago."

Drago showed no fear, but a feeling of disgust at the young figure before him. "And just who the hell are you?"

Fanghook scoffed "My bad. Nice to meet you bro, I'm Fanghook." He says as he lunges behind the man, placing him into a full Nelson and launching himself back , using the momentum to drag the much larger man with him before slamming him headfirst into the floor.

He launched back to his feet with a smile "Newest badass to hit the streets."

"Gustav!" Heather called, gaining the boys attention. "Oh right, sorry!" He replied as he searched Drago and found a set of keys.

After freeing everyone from their cells, he focused on getting them free from their bindings. "Okay so did he like, have a key for this stuff too?" He asks all of them, getting several nods in response.

"Great.." he replied sarcastically.

"Freeze!!" Came a shout from a slightly muffled voice, Gustav turning and watching as about twelve more armed men entered the hall.

"Oh come on! I just did this with like half of you losers." He comments, being cut off by another smoke bomb and the sound of metal sliding about entering his ears.

Another dark clad figure launched into the fray, taking the men out with ease and turning their weapons against one another whenever they tried to fire onto him, before slamming them to the floor.

It took no time for the smoke to clear, showing the newly armored Night Fury in a kneeling stance, bo staff drawn in his left hand and surrounded by unconscious and bleeding men.

Fanghook simply rolled his eyes beneath his mask "Show off." He called as his mentor stood and walked over.

Night Fury smirked as he approached, looking over his friends. "So, how was-" he found himself being cut off by a distraught Astrid, who lept onto him and wrapped her arms around her.

"Hey.." He began, hugging back and holding her close. He'd rarely ever seen the woman so down, so defenseless. It hurt him to watch as she tucked her face away into his shoulder.

"I need to get out of here Hiccup… I can't be here again. Not after last time." She says as she pulls away and allows Hiccup to see her tear stained cheeks. He gives her a warm smile. "I'm getting you out of here..all of you." He says, moving to his utility belt and pulling out a few pieces. He puts them together, making a device that looks like a small torch.

He approached her, activating it and began to burn through her collar. As he did this, Gustav took to doing the same with one of his own to Eret.

"He gave you a torch? Ah that's reckless endangerment at its finest." The Brit commented as Gustav sent a swift kick to his shin, causing him to gasp.

"Little bastard!" He shouted as Gustav chuckled evilly and finally cut his collar off. He moved onto Heather as Hiccup went to work on Snotlout's restraints.

"This seems familiar." Snot says as he looks towards the floor, avoiding the gaze from his cousins as he worked on freeing him.

"Seems like that Chinese finger trap. Cept the pocket knife is being replaced with a torch." Hiccup replies with a small smile, gaining a chuckle in response.

"You always were good with tools." Snot comments as he smiled as well, the large restraints loosened and he brushed them off onto the floor.

He looked around at everyone and then back to Hiccup who began to speak once more. "Alright guys. This is it. This is our chance to take down Drago, and possibly find the rest of his connections." He says, getting a nod of confirmation from Gustav who tapped onto his ear and began to speak.

"We're preparing for escape." He says into his communicator, gaining bewildered looks from all but Hiccup.

"Now let's get the hell out of here an-"

"Wait!" Astrid shouted as she looked past him and down the hall. "Where's Drago?"

Hiccup's eyes widened slightly as he whipped around, all of the heroes finding the unconscious forms of every man but Drago laying throughout the hall.

"...dammit!!"

Drago rushes up the stairs into another room, throwing open the door and being greeted by several scientists who looked to him in surprise. He walked towards the head scientist, Professor Morridun, and grimaced slightly.

"They're free, all of them. And they're coming for us. We need to unleash it and we need to do it now!" He shouted at the man who quickly looked to the tablet in his hands.

"Sir he's incomplete. He's powerful for sure but he's at about 59% power right now. To pull him out this earlier would have a few drawbacks. He'd be too weak to-"

"He'll be fine… unleash him now." He says, staring into the man's eyes as he draws his hook from his side. "And never try to protest my orders again, lest you wish to become a subject yourself."

The doctor merely nodded in response and walked over to a large computer nearby, typing several codes into it and looking beyond a window at the pod that sat in the next room.

The sounds of mechanical whirring and the hiss of air escaping was a bit haunting for the scientists, who were left to watch as the project was release from his containment pod.

All they could see now was a hand reaching out and holding onto the outside of the pod, and a pair of red eyes glowing in the dark pod.


	10. The Red Death

The blaring of an alarm cut throughout the facility, protruding the ears of everyone inside. Hiccup winced slightly as he heard this, giving a sigh and silently cursing his enhanced senses. He looked to the rest of the Immortals "We need to move and fast!" He called as he turned around and took off back the way he'd come.

The others took off behind him, Astrid and Eret taking flight alongside the group. "What's our next move?" Asked Heather as she attempted to keep up with the enhanced beings.

"We're gonna take all of these guys down, we're gonna collect all of the data they've made and free whoever they may have captive.. and then.." Hiccup rounded a corner to a plain white door, looking at the security panel beside the door and slamming a fist into it, ripping its wiring out.

"We're gonna blow this place apart." He concluded as the door slid open for them to enter. What they'd found was a lightly painted room, silver metal walls and a white tile floor, and several shelves and tables. All of which were white.

Hiccup approached something nearby, a glass case of sorts that seemed to hold their weapons. With a swift palm strike to its panel, it slid open and granted them access.

Snotlout and Heather approached, grabbing their headgear, weapons, tools and communication devices.

Snotlout reloaded all of his firearms before strapping them to his body, getting a look of disapproval from Hiccup and Heather.

"What?" He asked as Hiccup walked off "Nothing." He'd said silently as Snot looked to Heather.

"I can't believe you're using guns now." She says, getting a shrug in response as he drew one of his sidearms and prepared it for the worst. "Things change.. people change.. I changed."

"But to have changed that much-"

"I died. And in death, in rebirth I've seen the light for what it truly is, it's fractured. It needs to be fixed. And soaring these monsters lives isn't fixing that because they can just get up and do it all over again." He continued, drawing attention from everyone within the room now.

"But it's not the path we led. Not the path we were led to!" She argues back at him as she slid her mask onto her face, watching as he grunted.

"It's the path that was left undiscovered, the path they hid away because they knew it'd work. They always said that going down that path makes us as bad as them...but I think it just makes us better." He says, sliding his helmet over his head and allowing the eyes to glow orange.

"We don't have time for this." Fanghook said, drawing out his escrima sticks and approaching the open door. "That alarm has to mean something serious, and I don't think it's for us."

"Then what else could it be for?" Hiccup asks as he approaches his sidekick, noticing a strange look coming upon Eret's face.

"It's an alarm signaling the release of Project: Changewing." He says, a deadpan look arising as he looked to them all.

"Changewing?" Astrid asked as she pulled her mask over her mouth. "I really need to change up this suit…" She commented lowly.

"Changewing…It..He.. is a clone of sorts. A hybrid, given the powers and abilities of several heroes. Not much to him- he has the strength of Thunderdrum, the flight capabilities of Cloudjumper, and the energy generation of Kingstail." Eret explained further, pausing for a moment "To an extent though. He has limits. Can't lift more than 20 tons, can't fly faster than Mach 2, can't build flames near 10,000 degrees. Drago sees him as a failure, a work in progress even… so to release him now he must truly be desperate."

"He has the powers of my parents?" Hiccup asks, Snotlout crossing his arms and approaching. "And my dad?" He asks, growling slightly.

"Yes. To an extent. He's mostly Hiccups folks DNA. From what Mildew said, he's fifty percent Thunderdrum, thirty five percent Cloudjumper and fifteen percent Kingstail." He concluded as he approached the door.

"He's not nearly as strong as them, but he has been taught to use those skills, his mind has been uploaded with most of their tactics and it's pretty much a pit of unbridled rage." He says, turning to Hiccup "So Yeah. Have fun with your new destructive little brother."

Hiccup merely stared at him straight faced, arms dropping to his sides. "This feels so weird…" he says as he steps out of the room, looking both ways to determine the proper way to go.

"Drago would be in Sub Lab B if he's unleashing him, that's on the fourth floor, the absolute last floor in here. Next to it is Prison Blocks 1-2 where all of his prisoners are kept. Next to that is...the morgue." Eret explains with his arms crossed behind his back, giving a thorough description of the base as best he could recall.

"Then I guess We're headed down there to get him." Hiccup concluded, looking on as Gustav's eyes widened

"Uh, You sure about that? What with the creepy clone hybrid thing, I'd prefer to stay up here." He says, getting a soft nudge from Heather.

"This is the time to be a hero. You trained for this, and you can do it. Just keep your head low." She said, giving him a reassuring smile.

"And avoid explosions..and rubble." Came Snotlout as he began walking down the hall towards the elevator. "Hey! Wait up!" Gustav called behind him, rushing towards the elevator with the others in tow.

They all cramped their way into the elevator, waiting for it to make its descent.

It was a very slow descent at that, the annoying music that played inside threw them for a loop.

"Drago did not strike me as a music type." Astrid commented as she moved her arm, accidentally pushing into Hiccup's thigh.

"S-sorry." She's said, getting a shrug from him and a smile "Don't worry about it.." he cast a glance off to the side where Snotlout leaned against a rail, Heather trying her best not to get squished in between him and Eret.

"So...if we survive this, you wanna go out?" Hiccup asks, taking Astrid a bit off guard. She'd swiftly responded with "Yes!" and a bright smile, that was quickly returned. Hiccup was pushed further towards her as he was nudged by Gustav, who gave a goofy grin of his own.

"Bout time!" He shouted, The others within the elevator, save for Snotlout, agreeing.

" I was so tired of the casual flirting between you two." Heather commented with a sly grin as Eret nodded "And the constant challenging of one another."

Their conversation was cut short as the door to the elevator began to slide open. What lied behind it was a sight out of a film.

A corridor filled with rooms, clear as day. Glass covered the outside and each person in each room was either asleep or wishing they were somewhere else. The team slowly walked down the hall, taking note of each prisoner.

Hiccup noticed a girl with white hair sitting in the fetal position of her cell, next to a metallic toilet and sink. She seemed to singing to herself, a beautiful song that his enhanced ears caught.

"Let it go.." She sung, momentarily looking up at the dark clad figure before turning back to the floor. He could feel a dramatic temperature drop near her cell.

Astrid looked over and found a young lady with blonde hair that ended at her back, she laid in her bed staring at the ceiling and nothing else. Her hair would glow every few seconds or so, a golden shimmer that brightened the dark mood.

There were twelve cells in total, six on each side of the corridor. Meaning there were twelve people who would get their freedom today. Eret stopped at one cell, staring into it and seeing a young man with white hair staring at the wall across from his bed.

He panted slightly, signs of another escape attempt being made evident from the small crack in the glass.

"Jack…" Eret commented, drawing his attention. Jack looked at him, a face full of disgust as he lunged at the glass door.

"You traitor!!" He shouted, causing Eret to take a step back. "You let them do this! We were friends! Partners even!! How could you!?!"

He looked towards the floor, attempting to avoid his gaze. "We...we knew what we had signed up for." He said plainly.

"No! You knew! I thought this was just a security op...now I'm stuck here, stuck looking like..like this...stuck with the remnants of my past. I don't even remember my family.." he said, slamming a fist into the glass and drawing everyone's attention.

"But I remember you! Letting them take me without even a word of protest!! You sold me out… you let Drago do this.." he said, a tear escaping from his eye.

"I'm here to make it better. I know I can't undo what he's done but I can at least get you your freedom."

"And then what?" He asks, his pale skin growing a bit red as a memory flashed before his eyes. "Then I live the rest of my life as the unstable Jack Frost!?!"

Eret had no more words, he simply looked at the man as a memory of his own replayed.

Six Years Ago…

Eret sat at a table, hands moving over each card within his hand and carefully eying the men who sat with him. {Gotta watch for Remy, he always has a trick up his sleeve.} he thought as he cast a look to a thing man with reddish hair.

{And then there's Finley, but then again I know his tells. He'll give a small cough and rub the bridge of his nose if he's got a bad hand.} and the dark haired man next to him did just that.

{ But the real challenge is Jack} he looked over at the dirty blonde haired fellow who sat directly across from him, both of them locking eyes for a moment before returning to their decks.

"I fold." Came Finley , the Irish man laying his cards out. This prompted everyone else to follow suit, Remy calling out "Three Aces And two queens."

"Not bad." Eret said as he showed his cards. "Full house."

"Nice...but not nice enough" Came Jack, who laid down an ace, king, queen, Jack, and a ten. "Royal Flush."

"Of course.." Eret said as he rolled his eyes and leaned back. "Alright let's get back to work." He called, standing up and heading towards the exit to their break room with the other men following behind.

He adjusted his mask slightly, turning to look as Jack walked beside him with the other men going the opposite direction.

"Not gonna lie. I was skeptical as hell about taking this security job with this group. But it's honestly been kinda fun." Jack begins, looking to Eret as he slid a black helmet over his head.

"Meh, it's something." Eret said, ignoring the sharp scream that came from far behind them.

"Okay one of these days, I'm gonna figure out what all that ruckus is. You boys on the underground can't hide forever." Jack says, Eret practically able to feel the smile playing upon his lips.

"Hey, if you ever do I'll happily fill you in. But trust me, you don't want underground..it's… bad." He comments as they reach the elevator. Both of them stepping in with Jack pressing the button for the fourth floor and Eret heading to the very last floor.

"I like bad." Jack replies as the doors close.

The two returned to their respective work areas, Jack and all other above floor guards being kept in the dark on what really was going on.

Until that night. The night when Jack was asked by Drago Bludvist himself to accompany him to the bottom floor. The doors slid open, revealing a corridor of glass rooms. As soon as he saw this, his eyes widened.

"Tell me Jackson..what do you know about Bludvist Medical?" The larger man asks as he looks down to Jack, leaving him a bit taken aback.

"It's one of the largest medical supply and research industries in the world. Founded in 1965 by Ivan Bludvist and passed onto his son, you, in 1990." He says as they begin to walk down the corridor, Jack looking over each glass room with confusion.

He saw people inside, but they looked so odd. Depressed even.

"Our research spans various categories. Illnesses, injuries , even going as far as looking into cellular regeneration." Drago concludes as he opens up another door, ushering Jack in.

What was behind the door was more than enough to leave him shocked. "What the hell?!" He shouted, gaining the attention of everyone inside.

There were about twelve people in lab coats, along with Eret who stood off to the side, uncrossing his arms as he looked to Jack. The main thing that drew his attention was the unconscious person strapped down to the table.

"Why did you bring him down here?" Eret asks as he approaches Drago. Drago gave him a look of distaste.

"Merely to observe and contribute." He says, leaving Eret bewildered. His eyes widened beneath his goggles as he caught onto his plan.

"Oh no, no way in hell are you taking h-" he was cut short as a random hand reached out, grabbing ahold of his throat. The hand was made of a dark substance and began to wrap around him like a snake.

"I'm afraid he has no choice.. you will do your job and nothing more and never question me boy.." he released Eret, the black hand retreating into the shadows beneath him. "Ever."

Eret rubbed at his throat, coughing as he began to breathe clearly once again. He looked on as several guards showed up, taking Jack by his arms.

"What the-" he'd began, watching as Eret just stood there, watching.

"Eret! Help!!" He called out, pleading with the man to lend a hand and free him from the men's grip. But his plea went ignored, a sense of dread building up inside as he soon found himself strapped down to a table.

Now

"I know what I did...but I'm trying to fix that now.." Eret concludes, walking over to a computer panel nearby and entering an access code. The cells all opened up, allowing each prisoner inside their freedom after years of captivity and experimentation.

The Immortals stood astounded as they looked over each one, the girl with the Golden glow to her hair. The ice girl and the ice man. There were various others, burst of fire and water and even whole vines bursting from the floors around them. They had what they needed to take on Drago.

An army.

No….Hiccup shook off the thought. He wasn't going to endanger them anymore than they'd already been by Drago.

"Everyone listen up!" He shouted, watching as everyone silenced themselves and looked to him, mainly to the symbol upon his chest.

"It's the Night Fury." The white haired girl said as she looked up at him, getting murmurs and more from those around her.

"Seems you've got fans." Astrid says with a smile as she looks to Hiccup. "Seems so… alright listen up. You guys are free now, there's a jet waiting outside with a couple of my friends. Head out and load onto it, we'll follow behind you guys shortly."

"Head out the East Exit and make haste, take down any guards that get into your way." Hiccup concludes as he turns to the Immortals "We'll handle Drago and the rest of them."

There was no hesitation from the newly freed people, as they said their thank you and bid the heroes farewell before taking off and making way towards the exit.

"Alright...lets go find Drag-" Hiccup had began, finding himself being cut off by a loud rumbling and a sudden eruption from the floor beneath him. A burst of flame shot through the floor and sent him flying onto his back, with Eret and Snotlout being launched back as well due to their proximity.

They all looked over to the hole made in the floor, finding a young man hovering over it with eyes burning a fiery red. He had long red hair that was shaved into an undercut and wore a green suit, sleeveless top half and dark green bottom with black boots. He also had a stubble ridden face.

"Found you.." he spoke softly , glaring at the group.

"Ah...Changewing I take it?" Astrid asks as her eyes glow white, lightning sparking off her body and a small tornado forming around her lower body.

Changewing stares over at her , growling for a moment. "Stormfly." He notes before rushing towards her, tackling her to the floor and delivering a punch to the center of her face.

"Strongest one. Take her down first." He said as he threw Astrid across the room and into a wall.

"Hey!!" Came a shout, he turned to watch as Gustav cartwheeled towards him and delivered a spin kick to his jaw, which he brushed off and responded to by grabbing the boys leg, then slamming him into the wall.

"Hero unknown. Lightweight." Changewing said as he dropped him to the floor. Gustav groaned in pain, being left to look on as the Changewing lifted his foot and prepared to slam it down onto his chest.

But it never came, instead a large burst of green energy soared into the man's body and sent him flying back.

"You were wrong mate." Eret said, his skin glowing a bright green now, radioactive form engaged. "Astrid wasn't the strongest. I am." He said, sending a full force beam of energy towards Changewing, which he attempted to shield himself from with his arms.

The radioactive man's assault continued, as he put more energy into the beam , which caused him to break his guard and sent him flying into the far back wall.

He let out a loud growl and a groan in pain as Eret edged closer and closer to him. He could see the pain in the man's eyes but Eret didn't let up for even a second.

He got right in front of him and continued, but was taken by surprise when he reached out and grabbed him by his face. Changewing began applying pressure until Eret stopped his attack and tried to remove his hand. He soon found himself being slammed into the wall repeatedly.

Something then tapped Changewing's back, causing him to look back at Snotlout who smirked beneath his helmet. A sharp beeping sound caught his attention now. He looked down to see an explosive had been planted there, and it went off with a bang.

He was sent flying through the wall into the lab next door, and came to a kneeling position as he collected himself. "That was easy." Snotlout said as he walked through the hole and loaded up his modified Semi-Auto rifle.

"Who...are you?" Changewing asked as he looked back at him, slowly healing from the damage done.

"I'm your worst nightmare...holy shit, Nightmare. That's perf-" Snotlout had replied, being cut off as a punch to the chest sent him flying back through the hole. He lept back to his feet and looked on as Heather and Hiccup rushed to his side.

"Hell have y'all been?" He asks as they draw their weapons and prepare for the worst. Changewing walked through the hole, hands glowing a vibrant orangish-yellow tone, flames sparking from them.

"Night Fury, Windshear and new target: Nightmare.

Targets Sighted, response...exterminate." He said with a low growl as his eyes glowed red once again. He launched himself at them with a jet stream motion from the flames within his hands.

Hiccup ducked as Heather lept into the air, Snotlout crosses his arms over his chest and allowed his armor to take the damage. As he was sent flying onto his back, Changewing lifted his glowing hands up and began to melt away at the armor plating in his vest.

This left him distracted enough for Windshear to wrap her razor whip around his throat, he grabbed ahold of the whip and soon found a large current of electrical energy coursing through and into his body. His eyes widened as he slowly looked back, finding Windshear smirking at the enhancement to her weapon.

As she held him there, Night Fury rushed over and slid a pair of iron rings onto his fists, his fists now covered by flat iron sheets with the word 'Fury' engraved into them.

He delivered a powerful punch to his face before leaping back and sending another to his stomach, causing him to lurch in pain.

The sound of electricity cracklings drew his attention and he lept out of the way as a bolt of lightning struck Changewing right in his back, sending him flying into the wall and off of Nightmare.

Stormfly hovered down to the floor and wiped her now bleeding nose. "Bastard." She swore as she walked over to the now unconscious clone.

Night Fury helped Nightmare to his feet, noting the burns and melted parts of his suit as they walked towards Stormfly.

Eret and Gustav entered the area, Gustav being helped over by Eret. Now all of the Immortals stood around the downed clone, staring at him.

"We need to restrict him." Hiccup says, looking to Heather who drew a power restricting collar from the side of her belt. "Good thing I kept this then." She said as she adjusted it around his neck.

"He's powerless now." Eret says as he kneels next to him, watching as he stirred slightly. "And he's waking up."

Changewing's eyes blinked rapidly as he launched to his feet and struck a stance immediately. "Don't." Hiccup said, a warning that went on ignored as Changewing lunged at Astrid and soon found himself flung onto his back.

"Newsflash: your powers are restricted. She said as she looked down at him. He growled at this, pulling at the collar on his neck and feeling a sharp jolt of electricity surging through his body.

"Taste of your master's medicine." Snotlout says as he drives his heel into the clones back, sending him further into the floor.

"Now then, you're gonna take us to your boss." Hiccup says as Changewing looks up.

"No...I refuse.." he replies, getting a slightly bewildered look from Hiccup. "Uh...there's no refusing this.."

"What're you gonna do? Kill me?" Changewing asked

"Yes." Came Snotlout who was swiftly punched in the arm by Astrid.

"No!" Astrid said as she looked to him "But we will make you wish you were dead."

"I already do."

An eerie silence crept into the room. "What?" Gustav asked.

"My whole life..as short as it's been, has been miserable. Treated as both a slave and a weapon for these people, you think I wish to live this life?" He asks as he looks up to them.

"Death would be a freedom from all of this…it'd be a change and it'd be worth it." He says, a tear escaping from his eyes. The heroes were left in shock, not certain of what to do or even what to say. But, Night Fury knew. Kneeling beside Changewing, he offered him a hand.

"Help us stop him." He says "And we'll free you from this.. from him." His hand stayed there, never wavering and looking like a golden ticket to the clone.

"He...has me under control." Changewing replies, lifting his left arm to show off a gauntlet that was tightened to his wrist.

"It's a neurotoxin emitter. Whenever it's in use I become a mindless slave to my own anger, and I target whoever I'm told." The hero's eyes widened as he heard this, drawing out a small torch-like device from his belt and grabbing ahold of his wrist.

"No amount of heat is gonna break that..trust me, I've tried."

"Well it's good thing we're not trying heat then." Hiccup says with a smile as he switches it on, a blue stream coming from its spout and onto the metallic surface. The metal in the gauntlet began to freeze up slowly, until it became extreme frigid.

With a swing of a hand, the gauntlet shattered into pieces before their eyes. "And now you're free for real...well there's still the collar but we can probably work on that."

He stood up, bringing Changewing up with him and patted his back softly. "Join us man. We'll get you out of here."

There was a moment of silence following this, as Changewing took a moment to think over the offer. He looked around at all of them, then he smiled. "I've...I've never smiled before." He admits with a slight blush arising. "I'd love to join you.."

"Great." Astrid says as she wipes a bit of blood from her nose before delivering a sharp punch to his arm. "That's for my nose. Also welcome to the Immortals."

"You're gonna need a secret ID. Cause Changewing can't fly for everything...unless you're like In a gang or something I suppose." Gustav says as he looks to him.

"Let's focus on that later." Hiccup says as he makes his way into the hallway. Eret followed behind him staring straight ahead. "That door is the main lab. He's sure to be in there." He says, looking on as the rest of the Immortals followed behind.

The hallway was silent for the most part, very little sound being heard apart from the clicking of Snotlout's rifle as he reloaded it and crackling of electricity in Astrid's hands.

They finally opened the door, being met with the ever so gruesome image of Drago staring back at them from behind a window across the room.

"That's the testing area.." Eret commented as he walked closer. "The hell are you up to now madman?!?" He shouted , slamming a fist against the window.

Drago cackled mildly at this, staring him down. "My shadows were the greatest weapon id ever had. Until they destabilized. For years I've worked to gain that control once again." He began, lifting a hand and surprising everyone but Eret as his shadow seeped into his open palm, forming an axe of blackness.

The axe soon began to shake and melted apart, forming a black puddle at his feet before drawing back into it's original shadow. "I could mold it into anything I wanted…. But my mutation was unstable.." he said, looking at them. "But now I've got it! My breakthrough!!"

"What the hell are you on about?" Astrid asked. Eret looked past Drago at several containers behind him, they had been connected to a duct system inside the testing room. His eyes widened as he saw this. "You can't be serious." He says.

Drago merely laughed. "Oh I am…" he said, looking on with a smile as the gas began to fill the room, the Immortals left to watch in disgust and shock. Hiccup went to work on the computer panel before them, trying to open the room and stop the process.

"What the hell?!?" He shouted as he stared at a black screen. "Bastard destroyed it." He complained as he looked back to Drago. Snotlout rushed to the window, slamming the butt stock of his AR into it in an attempt to break it. After a few unsuccessful slams, he walked back over. "Well that didn't work."

Heather rolled her eyes, but allowed a smile to come upon her face. "Duh.". After this exchange, Changewing attempted to melt through the glass and found it was working. However, he was too late.

The gas began to clear in the room, and Drago laid there in an unconscious heap. "Is he…" Astrid began as she walked over and looked into the room. He wasn't moving, that was for sure. But the darkness around him was.

It was a sudden movement, one that took all of them by surprise, but the shadows surrounding Drago all rushed into the man's body. His skin began to darken further and further, until it was pitch black.

He finally began to move again, his arms and legs twitching slightly. Then, they began to expand before their eyes. His stomach widened dramatically, as did his head. Soon enough, Drago had managed to grow up to about 60 feet tall, bursting through the too of the building and making his way outside.

They stared, wide eyed and mouths gaped as the new monster broke out into the Canadian wilderness.

"What the fuck?" Said Snotlout, interrupting the silence they'd been drawn to after watching this.

"We gotta stop him.'' Hiccup says as Changewing melts down a section of the glass before then, creating a passage big enough for them to walk through. The heroes moved out into the now open area and watched as the mountain sized black monster made his way through the forest.

His skin seemed to carry a reddish glow to it, forming strange scales upon his body along with the rest of the darkness. He swung a massive hand at the rest of the building, tearing it down with ease and causing them to scatter.

"We need to make a plan and fast." Came Heather as she drew out a few sharpscales.

"Someone say fast?" Came an excited voice, all of them Looking at Cami who'd just appeared seemingly out of thin air. "Where I'd you come from?!" Asked Snotlout.

"The plane." She replied as she looked back into the distance at the vehicle then back at them. "So...giant monster battle huh? This oughta be fun." She said as she looked to the creature he'd become. "Gross he's all big and scaly..and dark...and also kinda red.."

Gustav snapped his fingers "Red Death!" He shouted , getting the others to look at him oddly. Hiccup struck out into the center of the group, looking firstly at Drago, then at the team.

"We need air defenses, Nightlight, Stormfly and Changewing that's on you guys. Give us some cover fire and make it rain on him. Snot-er, Nightmare, you, Windshear and Fanghook take to attacking him from the rear. Cami, circle around and create a wind funnel to throw him off balance, everyone steer clear of that funnel." He said, giving each person a role and wanting to get started as soon as possible.

The team merely nodded- they had their jobs and knew what needed to be done. And just like that, they were off. Eret entered his neon form and took to the skies alongside Astrid and Changewing, large bursts of lightning came from the area surrounding Astrid and began to shoot out towards Drago.

He swing his hand at her in an attempt to swat her away, failing as she flew out of the way and continued her assault. From the opposing side, Eret fired off a burst of energy into the back of the creatures neck, with Changewing building up flames and sending them off in large waves of heat to do further damage.

As they focused on his upper half, Night Fury ran towards his center with Typhoon speeding past and rushing beneath his legs. She waited a moment, watching as Fanghook launched himself towards his hind legs, driving his electrically charged escrima sticks into the back of his left knee in the hopes of bringing him down. He found his weapons being stuck there and gave a shout. "Stormfly!!"

This drew the blonde heroine's attention immediately, and she looked his way seeing what he saw. And opportunity. She lifted her hands high and sent a burst of lightning into the escrima sticks, inally blowing out the back of Drago's knee.

With this damage done, this left him further open for another attack. Nightmare took the opportunity to throw three grenades at the damaged knee, firing off his AR into them and creating a powerful explosion.

Drago roared in pain as he sunk to the ground, nearly collapsing onto Typhoon. The Typhoon launched herself into a circular motion immediately, creating a massive whirlwind that lifts him back upwards, the further he went he more in danger he appeared to be.

"Hey Drago...I owe you this!!" Screamed Stormfly as the skies above them turned dark, the clouds crowding around her and the sounds of thunder raging wildly.

Nightlight and Changewing flew away from her side as this happened, Nightlight smiling as his green aura began to glow even brighter. "Gotta agree….this is for Emily!!" He shouted as he allowed the nuclear core inside of his chest to enter an overload mode.

Changewing's eyes widened as he watched two, a smile of amazement coming upon his face. "Cool…" he commented as he flew a bit further from them, allowing them the moment. As the raging energies began to surge into a powerful stream and then collided into one, Drago opened his mouth, building up a large amount of red energy before firing it off.

When the beam of red collided with the beam of green and blue from the heroes, it created a shockwave that shook the entire Canadian wilderness. This sent the grounded heroes down onto their backs and also sent Changewing flying back from the sheer force.

There was a beam struggle to rival all struggles now, the colliding energies continuing to fight against one another- neither gaining any form of advantage or wavering. It seemed to be a hopleless struggle, with even sided powers continuing to counter one another.

That was until the grounded heroes interfered. With help from Night Fury's explosive charges and Nightmares energy helmet- Drago found himself struggling to keep up. A sudden crash into the center of his stomach disrupted his focus once and for all- looking down to see Typhoon glaring at him.

She had built up speed and burst into his stomach like a bullet, ripping her way through and circling back to his front, just to smirk at his downfall. The converging energies from Nightlight and Stormfly pierced through his mouth, going down into his now open stomach and destroying him from the inside.

Drago's body seemed to destabilize as it has him, causing his body to blow apart in a blinding flash of red light. The heroes all froze as they took cover and tried to block it.

But this would be too strong. Time seemed to tick away at the pace of a snail now, as Typhoon adjusted her gloves and smirked before turning and grabbing Night Fury and Windshear, delivering them through the woods and to the Jet waiting out front.

She returned, grabbing Fanghook and Nightmare and doing the same. Finally, she'd rush up the tallest of trees and use the momentum gained to launch herself towards Changewing, grabbing and tackling him towards the ground. She landed on her feet then, taking him to the jet as well.

With one more return to the site of the explosion, she stared at Night and Stormfly, trying to figure a way to save them. But from her angle, their new power increases would most likely shield them. She opted to return to the jet now, getting herself away as the blast began to encompass the facility.

As the bright flash of light and burst of energy spiralled out of control it began to die down until it was nothing more than a mere spark. The Immortals all slid to the ground from the final shockwave and looked on at the now destroyed base. The freed prisoners from inside the jet stepped out to view it, being taken aback by the shock of it all.

Hiccup rose back to his feet, looking around. He'd found everyone there safe and sound- including a smirk Camicazi. All but two. "Where's Astrid and Eret?!' he called over to Cami, who gave a somber look.

"I couldn't get to them without getting fried." she said, softly rubbing her arm. The others were surprised as Hiccup suddenly took off towards the rubble of the facility, skipping past it all as he made his way back to the forest. The snow around the area had been wiped out, leaving dead grass in it's place. He looked over and found two bodies, sliding beside the first one.

His mask began an immediate scan over them as he held Astrid's head in his arms. "Astrid? Hey wake up! Astrid!! Please…" he said, trying his hardest to awaken the weather bender.

Eret surged to life a few feet away, coughing slightly as he looked over to Hiccup who looked back with a smile. "You're alright!"

Eret shook his head. "The hell I am, my head hurts like It's been beaten in." He says as he climbs to his feet. He took a look around the area, smirking softly. "Bastards finally gone."

His smirk faded ss he looked to Astrid who began to stir. Hiccup looked at her, watching as her eyes opened slowly to reveal pools of crystal blue. "H-hiccup?" She asked softly.

He smiled "Hey. I'm here….you did it." He says, watching as she smiles, then releases a soft groan. "Hiccup..'' she said.

"Yeah?" He asked, eager to know what she had to say.

"You're kneeling onto my hand." she says, watching as he quickly moved his knee off of her hand and brought it into his own, kissing it softly.

"Sorry." He said awkwardly.

"That's alright." She said, bringing a hand up and delivering a swift punch to his arm. She knew it wouldn't hurt but it was worth a shot.

He laughed softly at this, bringing her up and kissing her lips. "I'm glad you're alright." He says , smile never fading from this face.

"Alright, let's get the hell out of ere already." Eret says as he looks over at the destroyed facility one more time..

 **Transition**

Fishlegs sighed softly as he took a seat in his favorite recliner, which thankfully had not been occupied by a dark spandex wearing childhood friend anymore. But instead he looked across the living room at the couch, where two white haired young adults and a girl with golden hair sat.

"Alright so...I'm Fishlegs, weird nickname I'm sure but it's stuck since childhood. Tell me about yourselves." He said awkwardly, trying his best to make conversation.

Jack shrugged "I'm Jack Weathers...well , Jack Frost now I guess. I was born in Winnipeg and joined the MRA security task force at 18. Then I met Drago and here we are."

The white haired girl hummed softly as she finished tying her hair into a braid. "I'm Elsa Arren. I was next in line to be the Queen of Arrendale, Norway until I was kidnapped and declared missing. I was then turned into this...Ice Queen using samples of Jack's enhanced DNA." She explained, a soft smile gracing her features.

"I plan to return to Arrendale and reclaim my throne from my cousin Hans soon. Hopefully this goes over well with him. Maybe I'll find out who set up my kidnapping to begin with."

Everyone sat in silence for a moment, before giving several nods of affirmation and smiles of happiness.

Finally the blonde spoke. "I'm Rapunzel, I'm also from Norway, not too far from Arrendale actually. I was the daughter of a major business conglomerate who was also kidnapped. Though I know exactly who planned it- my step mother. So when I return home, her ass is mine." She says with sweetest of smiles.

"Slightly scary. I like it." Jack says before turning back to Fishlegs. "So how long does Hiccup plan to keep us here exactly?"

Fishlegs sat up in his seat. "Until his new Metagene training facility is done. " He says, listening as the sound of a kettle began to come into his ears. "Seems our tea is done."

 **Dragon's Edge**

With his Den compromised and his Safehouse alos compromised, Hiccup had to scramble to find a new base of operations and a new home. Luckily that was easily accomplished with help from his father. He, Astrid and Heather walked up to the doors of the large mansion, hidden away from the rest of the town deep in the woods.

He pushed the key into the lock and opened the doors up, smiling as a burst of cool air rushed past them. Astrid, wearing a black overcoat over a red blouse and a pair of jeans with black boots, smiled at the eccentric decor. There were several pictures of historical figures planted throughout the main foyer, the large chandelier above had it's crystal lights bouncing off of the marble floor.

"This is it. My new home..our new base. And our Metagene training facility." Hiccup says as he turns to Heather, who wore a blue tee shirt and a pair of white pants with blue flats and sunglasses.

"We've come a long way from being kids playing dress up." She said as she started up the stairs. Astrid moved to Hiccup's side, smiling as he wrapped an arm securely around her waist and smiled.

He motioned towards the large rounded window that sat above the stairs, decorated with stained glass. "I'm thinking of changing that window up. Putting a symbol there."

"Really?" She asked, looking up stuff him. "What type of symbol did you have in mind?"

He smirked at the question. " A giant 'I'."

 **Conference Room**

The base had been set up after weeks of deliberation and planning. Now the heroes that called themselves the Immortals sat at a big round table, Hiccup at the head and Heather at the opposing end. Snotlout worry a new suit, his sleeveless lol being replaced with slightly armored black sleeves and a red tunic, chest and abdomen covered with plating.

Eret had a suit of his own as well. A one piece sleeveless black suit that blended with his powers. The others wore the same outfits, smirking at what they'd built.

Snotlout cast a glance around the room. "Where's Gustav? We have weapons training at three." He says

"Still at school. Kids starting his sophomore year and his mom's doing amazing." Hiccup replies as he looks to his cousin. "Speaking of moms, how'd the reunion go?" He asked.

Snotlout shrugged softly. "It was good. I knocked, her and dad opened the door then shut it in my face. They came back, cried. Hugged me. I cried. Then I spent all night explaining everything and they were just thankful to have me back." He said , a smile gracing his features.

Hiccup as the others smiled as well, Eret taking his time to speak. "The trainers are doing great so far. They're getting close to mastering their abilities, Jack's doing the best so far."

"Elsa made a snowman too." Cami commented as she leaned back, resting her feet onto the table. "Like literally...a walking and talking snowman. She calls him Olaf."

Astrid walked over to the large monitor nearby, switching it on to display a recent news broadcast. "And the public loves us." She says with a smile as Heather's face appeared on the screen, the recording of the recent broadcast making her jump with pride.

"In other news, the world can rest safely knowing they're being watched over by a force for good. Seemingly in hiding for the longest, these heroes have stepped out as a combined force for good. Led by Night Fury, the combined efforts of Windshear, Stormfly, Nightlight, Nightmare and Typhoon have resolved issues worldwide within a matter of weeks. So to the world, rest softly knowing the Immortals have your back."

Heather smiled as she watched this, the other heroes smiling as well. Snotlout still had some concerns. "Why wasn't Gustav mentioned?" He asked, an eyebrow raised in question as he rested a hand onto his helmet.

"He's declined our offer to join. Kid says he's gonna focus on school doing things solo for a bit. He'll still train with us and ride with Hiccup but he needs to build up to it personally." Eret says as he looks to their leader.

"I'm proud of him for it. He's grown up since I first met him." He says, his eyes turning back to the monitor as a breaking news report plays loud.

"Breaking news!" A white haired female reporter said as she appeared on the screen. Images of blood stained floors and broken walls appeared beside her. "Recent events revealed a killer amongst the streets of Dragon's Edge, leaving DEPD shocked."

The team was taken by surprise, but immediately rushed to their feet in preparation. "After much investigation, they've found the suspected killer." She says, the video transferring to a press release of the DEPD commissioner.

"As much s it pains me to say, we have a murdered in our ranks." The older African American man stated, the flashes of cameras and murmurs of the crowd overtaking him for a moment. "It's with a heavy heart that I say this. But we're putting a warrant out for the arrest of Detective Henry 'Hiccup' Haddock for fifteen accounts of first degree murder, evidence tampering, money laundering and forgery."

The heroes all went dead silent, nothing being heard but the heavy breathing of Hiccup. "W-what?!?" He shouted, slamming a fist into the control panel of the monitor and leaving a large dent.

He turned to his team, who looked to him with sadness in their eyes. He shook his head wildly, as though this were some bad dream come to life. But nothing changed it. As of now he was out of a job, and he was a wanted man.

 ** _Well that's it. That's the end of the first Arc of the Immortals. Wait til next time, where we delve deep into mystery and try to figure out just what's going on. I'll be making some one shots and spin offs for some of these characters too, so be on the lookout for those. Until next time, signing off._**


	11. Arc 2 : The Cage

The sounds of panted breathes ripped into the night air as the dark clad figure lept over a dumpster and into an alley, keeping the same page he'd kept for the past five minutes. He had slowed himself down and faked his breathing as a means of throwing the pursuers off his trail.

Finally he found himself faced with a new obstacle- he could get over the fence with ease but that would draw suspicion towards his identity. Finally he paused, moving his hands above his head as the two officers made their approach.

"Fr-oh my God." Ruffnut said as she painted heavily, attempting to catch her breath after the pursuit. Finally she regained her composure and looked to her brother who merely shook his head, both of them holding their weapons out towards the leather jacket wearing man.

"Now turn around and tell us why you were at Haddock's apartment!" Tuffnut called out, watching as the man turned to face them. The light from their flashlights hit his face, showing the emerald green eyes that had been splashed across the news channels a mere three weeks before.

"Hic?" Tuff said as he and his sister lowered their weapons.

"Do you believe them?" Hiccup asks plainly, avoiding leaping to another subject. The Twins stirred slightly, looks of hurt arising upon their faces as he asked this.

"Do you believe them!?" He asked again, more intensity poured into his words than previously spoken. "That I did all those things?"

The Twins were hesitant, looking to one another before looking to him once again. Tuffnut's response came in the form of him putting away his gun. Ruffnut followed suit, both of them looking to Hiccup.

"Of course not.." Ruffnut said as she eyed him a bit carefully. "But why did you go back to your apartment?" She asked

Hiccup dropped his guard, feeling safe now. "To make sure they didn't find anything I didn't want them to find." He said, drawing their suspicions.

"Uh...what?" Tuff asked as he heard this.

"It's nothing bad. I didn't kill those people, but I do have something to hide." Hiccup responses now, reaching into his back pocket and noting the fact that neither twin attempted to draw a weapon as he did so.

Finally he pulled out a sleek black phone, tapping its screen a few times to bring up a projection. "This is my apartment." He said, bringing up a holographic display of the building.

"And this-" He said, moving down into the lower levels to display his old headquarters. "Is the Dragon's Den." He said, looking on at their wide eyed expressions.

"The Dragons Den? Sounds a bit edgy for a man cave." Ruffnut said as she crossed her arms, Tuff giving an unimpressed look.

"And quite the strange location for one as well"

Hiccup sighed at this, collapsing the hologram. "You guys can not be serious." He said, watching as they smirked.

"I knew it!!" Tuff shouted then, calming down for a moment "Well I didn't know it but I suspected it!!" He said.

Ruffnut smiled "I sure did know that butt looked familiar even in black spandex."

Tuffnut pointed to her "Yeah! Wait..no! Ew." He commented as Hiccup turned around and looked at the fence, while pinching the bridge of his nose.

He looked to the sky, as though he were talking to the Gods themselves. "Please don't make me regret this."

Transition

The sound of heavy metal doors sliding over brought the Twins out of the trance they'd been put in as they stared over at the large fountain in the courtyard. They watched as Hiccup opened a bomb shelter in the back of the mansion, beneath the kitchen window.

The two walked over, slightly confused at this. Hiccup turned, motioning them towards him as he made his way down into the cellar. The Twins followed, smirking at the eerie feeling that crept up onto them.

As they follows their friend down, the round the bomb shelter to be more than they'd ever expected. They thought to find something normal like shelves of canned food and blankets, or something creepy like alien eggs or a large hive.

Instead they found a vast space, a meeting room of sorts with a large round table in the center. A large computer monitor stood pressed against the wall nearby with a sword and a shield adorning the wall next to the screen.

As Hiccup stepped towards the computer, he began to plot what to do next. {Alright….I've told the Twins, and I know they'd keep this a secret. But I need to convince them.}

He cast a glance over his shoulder at the siblings in thought, who were finding themselves being preoccupied with Snotlout's sword, that he'd left sitting on the meeting table earlier on in the day.

"I wouldn't mess with that if I were you." Hiccup called , drawing looks of suspicion from the Twins. Tuffnut scoffed "And why not?" He asked, watching as the hilt of the sword launched a dart outwards into his shoulder.

His face softened and he slumped down to the floor, mouth wide and twitching slightly. "Oh so that's why not." Ruffnut notes as she played with the hilt.

Hiccup walked over to them, helping Tuff to a standing position before sitting him down in Astrid's chair. He snapped his fingers before his eyes, attempting to draw a reaction. "Must've been his special dart." He says as Ruff steps over, sending a sharp smack to the side of Tuffnut's head.

The male twin spun in the chair, but otherwise gave no response. "Huh. That usually works." Ruffnut says with a shrug.

"He better not drool in my chair." Comes w voice, the two turning to see Stormfly walking in with her mask off.

"Astrid!!" Ruffnut shouts as she lunges at her best friend, finding herself being hugged with a grip stronger than an anaconda. Astrid smiles brightly as she did this, then watched as Ruff tried to pull away.

"Sheesh you got strong!" She says, whilst attempting to regain her composure. "But holy shit! You're Stormfly!?!?" She asks, finally realizing what she was wearing.

Astrid merely nodded in response as she walked over to a smiling Hiccup. "Ruff you've known about my powers for years. Honestly it shouldn't have been hard to put together."

Ruffnut once again have a lazy shrug "I honestly never paid much attention to Stormfly." She says, nudging Hiccup's side "I was more focused on Captain Wonderbutt over here."

Astrid moves over to her, grabbing one of her braids and pulling her back . "Move it." She said before letting go, getting a shocked look in return.

"Sheesh, what's with the overprotectiveness? Thought you nearly hated each other." She says as Astrid winced slightly.

"You've missed a lot.. we'll explain."

Hiccup says.

One Long Winded Explanation Later…

"So...you guys went to Canada, fought a giant monster, found out your cousin was alive, nearly died in an explosion and got framed for murder?" Ruffnut asked as Tuff sat next to her, scratching his head at the new information.

This had all taken them by surprise, yet somehow they weren't as surprised as one would expect. They merely shrugged it off and began to annoy them more and more questions.

Hiccup sighed as he brought a palm to his face. "Alright!" He shouted , finally stopping their assault of questions. "Look. I didn't bring you here to spin you a tale. I need your help guys." He says finally, the Twins looking at him in amusement.

"We were waiting for you to say that." Tuff says as Ruff nods "Well not really but we saw it coming." She says with a smirk as Hiccup casts a glance to Astrid , then back to them.

"I can't get into the DEPD building, so I can't know for sure what's going on. But you guys can."

"Well what about Astrid?"

" I was medically discharged…" she explains softly, Hiccup placing a hand onto her shoulder. She smiled as he did so.

"What? Oh come on! Man, and I thought the department was boring before." Ruffnut exclaims with a sharp sigh, throwing her hands up in frustration. "Just tell us what we have to do." She says finally, Tuffnut looking back to the heroes.

"We need you to keep an eye out for the Grimborn case. Everything linked to them...I know who's responsible for this, and I need to track him down. But I can't do that without proper evidence. And that evidence is in the building." He says

"I need you to bring me the files. I could break in, but I'm still working overtime here."

"We'll do it!" The Twins shout collectively, bringing a smile to Hiccup and Astrid's faces.

"Great!"

Warehouse- Downtown Dragon's Edge

The man coughed wildly as he gasped for air through a strained and sore throat. His eyes moved across the dark floor and over to the gasoline bucket that sat in the corner of the room. He could feel the gloves hand gripping at his throat once again, squeezing tightly to restrict his air flow.

He stared at the figure with eyes wide, pleading for his life through rushed blinks and twitches. The man gave a cold stare back as he released his throat and sent a sharp blow to his ribs, breaking yet another one.

The man had been hanging from the ceiling by a set of chains around his ankles, been like this for a mere twenty minutes now. Every few moments, he'd be lowered into the large tub of water below him, set to nearly frozen before being hoisted back up.

The dark haired man that had been torturing him sent a slap to his face before grabbing it. "You failed me Dagur...for the last time I might add." He spoke in a cruel and unforgiving tone.

"I-I know… I'm sorry Viggo, I really am!" Dagur muttered as he struggled to even form the words needed at the time. Viggo's assault still had not ended as he sent a swift punch to his sternum, cracking it slightly.

"I've given you time...chances even.." he remarks to Dagur, who began to cough up blood.

"You sell for me...you gain what little profit I allow you… but to let the Night Fury catch you just for me to have to bail you again...it's become quite irritating.." Viggo says as he turns to look him in the eyes.

"An irritation I no longer will allow." He says, reaching back to draw a sword from the sheath on the back of his black zylon/leather suit.

Dagur's widened even further Ashe saw this, shaking wildly "Please… Viggo please!!" He shouted, blood spewing out and splattering on Viggo. This only serves to anger the man further as he thrust his arm outward, sending the blade into his stomach before withdrawing it.

A swift swipe into the air and the blood from his body was splattered onto the floor. He sheathed the blade and walked over to the gas canister, drawing out a match. "You should be ashamed Dagur.." he says as he lights it, dropping it onto the floor.

It's then revealed that the floor had already been doused with gasoline beforehand. Dagur watched as the flames began to encompass the floor, then spread to the walls of the building. The smoke arose to his face soon after, clouding his lungs. He coughed wildly and struggled to speak "VIGGO! VIGGO PLEASE!!"

As Viggo stepped out of the warehouse, he slid a metallic black mask over his face, nothing showing but his eyes through circular holes.

The door slammed shut behind him, leaving Dagur's cries for help unheard.

Across Town

As Hiccup loaded the trunk of his car with two suitcases, he paused for a moment and looked over the bags to ensure he'd gotten all he needed. As he did this, the sound of mixed footsteps approached him. He slammed the trunk shit and turned to watch as Astrid made her way over.

"Fire across town earlier. Whole warehouse burned down and a body was found inside."

"I suppose I could look into th-"

"It was Dagur." She says, stopping him mid sentence and watching as his eyes widened.

"How the hell did he get out of jail? Any idea who did it?" He asked frantically.

She shook her head at that, arms crossing over her chest. "I haven't told Heather yet….Hiccup I don't know how she's gonna take that."

"Not well. I'll tell her…" he says as he begins to walk towards the steps to the mansion, Astrid following closely behind. "I don't see how anyone could take something like this well. It's her brother Hic."

As they moved through the main foyer, they kept back as a sudden rush of wind Came last. Camicazi zipped to a stop next to them. "Have you guys told her?" She asks with a sad look upon her unmasked face.

They both shook their heads at this. She frowned "Well you'd better do it soon. There's a lot of activity in the city right now."

They nodded at this , then kept moving onwards. The walk to the meeting room was short, but they needed all the time in the world. They found her there at the table, in full Windshear gear. She was sat up sharpening the blade of her whip, giving a soft smile as the couple entered the room.

"What's up guys?" She asked as she continued to sharpen the razor, putting Astrid at a state of unease.

"Heather we need to talk." Hiccup says as he takes the seat next to her, the Typhoon symbol I printed on it.

"Oh. What about." She asks as she sits up, setting her blades weapon aside for the time being.

"It's about Dagur. He uh...he escaped from prison."

"And we have to bring him back in?" She asks, getting a shake of the head in response.

"There was a fire earlier. Warehouse burned to the ground and a body was found inside...I don't know how else to say this….but it was him." He says finally.

He could practically hear her tear ducts opening, watching as the tears began to stream down almost immediately. She pulled her mask off with red eyes, looking at him in disbelief.

"I'm sorry.." he said, eyes softening as he looked at her once again. Seeing the hurt in her eye was easy. Easy to see, but definitely not easy to take in. He couldn't bear to see her like this, not after all they've been through.

Not after her father. After her fathers death and mother's abandonment, she was basically raised by her brother. Learning about his criminal activists that kept them living had broken her when she was younger. Seeing that they'd led to his death was breaking her.

Hiccup let the silence that followed the news wear out. He knew she'd need time, and a good bit of it. "Go home H. Go and take a break. Come back when you're feeling better, or at least up to it." He says calmly, placing a hand over hers as a show of support.

She looked over at him, the usual gleam in her eye died down and replaced with a look of sadness. She merely nodded as she stood up and grabbed her gear, making her way towards the door. Hiccup and Astrid watched as she left, then looked to one another.

Later

Viggo's eyes locked onto the window across the way. The cool breeze that blew by every few seconds only seemed to secure his thoughts. He smirked beneath his cold steel mask, hand grazing the hilt of his sword gently. He'd become used to waiting, used to the patience game.

Finally, his target came into sight. His eyes skimmed slightly as he finally drew his sword and prepared himself. Katana in one hand and grapple launcher in the other, he drew his mode of transport and fired a line clean across the space between the two buildings. Smirking as it latched onto the other roof, he kept off and began to swing across the way.

The window he'd been eying shattered under his weight, and the man behind it stumbled back onto the floor.

"What the bloody ell is wrong with you?!" Came a cry from Eret, who looked on as the strange masked man stared down at him.

"A lot of you ask the right people." Viggo replies while swinging his sword towards the radioactive man. Eret lept to his feet and narrowly avoided having his throat slashed. His eyes lit up with their usual green tint as bursts of energy flew from his hands and towards the man.

"I literally JUST finished arranging things in this apartment. And now I get attached?!" He asks as Viggo swats the energy blasts away with his sword, small burn marks being left on the blade.

"Your architecture is a joke. Fung shui in here is way off." Viggo retorts while drawing a pistol and opening fire on Eret.

Eret's body flared up green as the bullets hit him, falling to the floor in melted pieces.

"Good try mate. I take it you don't know much about me?" He asks as his body glows brighter, entering his bright form.

Viggo chuckles "On the contrary I do. Just wanted to test the bulletproof bit for myself before I did this." He replies while drawing out another gun- a modified Desert Eagle Mk XIX .50 AE. With one swift shot, Eret was hit in the sternum by the weapon.

He smirked at this for a moment, but that grin swiftly left his face as he dropped to his knees. His eyes panned down to the center of his chest where he found a metallic object had stuck there, and was lit up with a red light.

His skin began to lose color, fading back to his original slightly tanned tone. Then it turned pale- leaving a ghastly look upon the man's face as his eyes rolled back and he passed out.

The light on the device then turned green- signaling to Viggo that he was indeed out. The masked man pulled it from his chest and smirked beneath his mask.

"Arrogance- always ones downfall." He comments.

Immortals Mansion

Hiccup's eyes were locked onto the computer screen now, hand constantly running through his hair. He let out a sigh as he went over the evidence from the murder cases he'd been framed for- a news report playing in the background.

"Still no sign of heir to Haddock Industries, Henry Haddock the Third, who's still wanted for several crimes throughout Dragons Edge." The female reporter who had taken Heathers spot in her absence spoke, leaving the Night Fury in a bit of a fit.

He looked over at Toothless, who laid next to his seat. The dog had been there with him since he'd entered the room hours ago and began his research. Now running a hand over the mutts back, he smiled softly.

Toothless looked up, giving a loook that seemingly said "Good Luck." And honestly that was all he needed at the moment.

He turned around as the sound of footsteps approaching drew his attention and found Snotlout standing nearby, suited up save for his helmet.

"This stuffs really working you huh?" He asks with his arms crossed as he looks at the news report

"Yeah...yeah it is." Hiccup replies as he closes out the images he'd pulled open, along with the report. "Whoever did this planned this out too well. Buts if my DNA at the crime scenes, fingerprints of unregistered weapons, I mean...I don't know how I'm going to clear myself here." He says as he stared at the mask resting nearby, the eyes of the Night Fury seemingly staring back at him.

"Just think with your gut on this one." Snotlout replies, causing Hiccup to lift an eyebrow in confusion.

"My gut? What?" He says, finally turning in his chair to face his cousin, who had a light smirk upon his face.

"Yup!! I do it all the time. Don't plan out so much, just go out there and do it. Stuff'll fall into place along the way." He says, causing Hiccup to roll his eyes lightly and smile.

"I'll think about it- honestly at this point I've got no other ideas."

As he said this, the computer screen went dark. Soon a video popped up of a man wearing a dark mask and standing in a warehouse.

"Hello Immortals." He spoke calmly, a voice sending a shiver down Snotlout's spine.

"I'm not sure if you've noticed, but you're currently down a member." He says, the camera panning to a sight behind him.

There in the middle of the floor sat an unconscious Eret, chained down to a wooden chair.

"If you'd like your Nightlight back, come to my coordinates. We have much to discuss."

The video ended there- screen returning to black and leaving the two heroes in a confused state.

"And now this is happening" Hiccup says softly.

Warehouse- East District

"Sure picked a creepy enough location." Snotlout exclaims and he, Hiccup, Astrid, and Cami walked towards the building.

"Agreed" exclaimed Cami as she looked to Hiccup, who pulled up a holographic amp of the building.

"Astrid you take to the skies, recon from there. Don't know what this guy has planned or what he could be working with." He says, getting a nod in response from the weather bender, who took flight beside Cami.

"The three of us are gonna go ahead in, Cami when I give the signal you vibrate Eret from those chains and bring him out here to the jet." He said, motioning towards the Aircraft that they'd landed in a field nearby.

"Got it." She replied.

With their plan laid out, the three heroes ventured into the warehouse, keeping their guard up with every step they took. Footsteps began to approach, and a single light was flicked on in the middle of the warehouse, showing Eret to still be in his unconscious and restricted state.

The same man from the video walked up next to him, placing a hand upon the unconscious man's shoulder. "It took you all long enough. Though it seems you're short a few members." He comments, getting a glare thrown his way from Night Fury

"Let's just say some of us have personal things to tend to." He says, getting a chuckle in response

"Of course. Please send Heather my condolences. Dagur was a good runt." He replies, throwing the heroes off guard

{How the hell does he know who Heather is?} Hiccup wonders as he heard this, noting that Snotlout was reaching for one of his handguns.

"How do you know Heather?" Snotlout asks, slowly going to draw the weapon.

"I know all of you Scott." The masked man says, looking to Typhoon now "Camicazi." He then looks to Night Fury.

"Hiccup.." He says slowly, before reaching behind his back and drawing a sword.

"I'll keep this simple. You have something, or rather someone, of mine locked away in a prison that even I can't breach. Their security is far superior to the one I spring Dagur from and while I could do it, I quite frankly have other things to tend to. That's where you come in… free Ryker Grimborn And you get Eret back." He says, as though it were a casual deal being made.

"Are you insane?!" Night Fury asks as he draws out his collapsible staff. "I've got a better idea.." he says, watching as Viggo pops his neck and rolls his shoulders in preparation.

"I figured that soundly go over well." He says as Hiccup steps forward

"Damn right. IMMORTALS ATTACK!" He shouts, rushing across the floor with Snotlout in tow.

He swung his staff at the man's head and watched as he blocked it with his sword, then pushed him away- Snotlout firing a round aimed for his head afterwards.

The bullet his his mask, barely even leaving a smudge behind as it fell to the floor.

"Neat gun. But I like mine better." He says as he draws his own handgun and fired it towards Snotlout who begins to backflip away and weave through his gunfire

As this battle went on, Cami's perception of the world slowed down dramatically as she entered her speed state, moving around 120,000 steps per second- she rushed over to a Eret and began to vibrate him through the chains before rushing him outside.

From there she watched as a bolt of lightning from Astrid rushed through the roof of the building- hitting the center floor where Viggo stood and throwing the man off balance.

Using this as an opportunity to strike, Hiccup lunges at him and soon found the man's fist being planted into his stomach, causing him to double over.

At that point, Viggo brought his knee up in a swift and unforgiving movement to crash into Hiccup's jaw, then thrusted his hand back into the man's face to send him to the floor. As Hiccup hit the floor, he noted that Viggo had exceptional strength- enough to match even his.

That wasn't good because he also had skill to match.

"Give it a rest boy." Viggo spoke as he snatched Snotlout's arm and jerked it behind his back, lifting him overhead just in time for another one of Astrid's lightning strikes to hit him- using Snotlout as a shield before throwing him across the floor at Hiccup.

Hiccup was knocked over by the sudden attack, and soon rolled over to his hands and knees.

He looked up and watched as Viggo approached, drawing another handgun and pointing it upwards. He pulled the trigger without even looking where he was shooting, but the sound of a feminine grunt and Astrid falling through the hole she'd made and onto the floor confirmed Hiccup's suspicions.

Viggo smirked beneath his mask, before bringing his foot down in a show of strength onto Hiccup's left hand- smiling as he heard a loud CRUNCH.

Hiccup grunted in pain as he withdrew his now broken hand from near the man and moved to saint his other hand at him, Viggo merely catching him by the wrist and wrenching it in the other direction. With that sudden thrust, he managed to dislocate that arm.

Finally, Viggo put his hands on both sides of Hiccups mask and stared him in the eyes. "Such a shame...The names Viggo Grimborn by the way. But most people call me Cage." He says, causing Hiccup's eyes to widen.

This was him? The bastard he'd been chasing since he first came to The Edge? He underestimated him greatly, thinking him to be some normal drug kingpin or just another thug. But this man was a tactical genius.

And for once in his life, Hiccup felt some fear arising within.

"Goodnight Hiccup." Viggo says as he lifts his fist to deliver another blow, only to find himself being flung across the warehouse floor by a sudden force.

Cami smirked at her work then moved to help Hiccup to his feet, rushing him out to the jet and returning for Astrid and Snotlout.

Viggo got up just as the sound of the jets rotors starting up hit the air, smirking to himself.

"Now I know what you all can truly do….and I can't wait for our next meeting." He says, drawing out a device from his belt with a red button attached to it.

Aboard the Jet

Snotlout's fist slammed into the terminal in front of him. "He made us look like clowns out there!!" He shots angrily, getting a pat on the back from Cami who merely nodded.

"That dude meant serious business." She exclaims as she and Astrid both look to Hiccup who was bandaging up his hand.

"You're telling me. And why'd he only break my bones?!" He asks somewhat angrily, while also trying to laugh off what had just happened.

Suddenly they found themselves being drawn to an alert from the jet. "We've got incoming!" Snotlout calls as Cami straps herself in and Astrid brings up a holographic hud.

"Unknown projectiles. Could be anything." She says, ignoring Hiccup as he says "Guys."

"Better be ready for everything then!" Snotlout says as he brings up the weapons system

"Guys.."

"I'll put up a rear visual and scout the outside." Said Cami as she moved to open up the security system menu.

"GUYS!" Hiccup finally shouted, drawing all of their attention his way.

"It's just fireworks." He says, pointing out the window at the various colored works that began to illuminate the sky.

Date: July 4th, 2019. 10:25 PM

"Oh…" Snotlout said with a shy grin. "Haven't seen those in a while." He exclaims with a smile as he begins to watch them.

"Yeah me either." Comes an accented voice, everyone turning to watch as Eret finally wakes up, shaking his head.

"Feels like I was beaten with a crowbar and blown up by a clown." He says, getting an odd look from Hiccup.

"So you're Jason Todd now? Thought that was Snotlout's descripti-" He was cut off by a louder alarm, and the jet rumbling slightly.

"Bring up the camera!!" He shouted, watching as Cami did just that. A video played on the window, showing a building below now on fire with several people running from it.

"That's the same warehouse we just left." Snotlout exclaims as he attempts to pull up another camera angle.

"Bastard must be covering his tracks." Astrid says angrily. "Unless…"

Hiccup shakes his head "No...he's alive… and I know for a fact that's not the last we're gonna see of Viggo Grimborn."

A silence loomed in the air after he said that. No one moved to speak but merely thought on his words. Until Eret spoke up. "Who the hell is that?" .

AAAAAND The Immortals are BACK! I like to call this Arc 2 : The Cage. Hehehehe. I hope you all will forgive the wait and please leave me some good reviews

Also- like I said spin offs are happening. The First one- Titled : Elsa. Is up and ready to be read...or atleas the first chapter of that one is ready to be read. So please go check that out to find out more about our resident Ice Queen.

As always, thanks and I love you all!! See ya next chapter!!!


	12. Arc 2: The School

"Yet another tragedy prevented by the mechanized heroes known as Big H-" the news report was cut off there as Hiccup leaned back in his chair. He'd taken to sleeping in one of the bedrooms of the mansion since his apartment was raided, and he'd taken no shame in it whatsoever.

He did take shame in his recent defeat at the hands of Viggo Grimborn. With a sigh he pulled up a utter prison photo of the criminal, before casting the same image aside on his phone.

He didn't understand how the man was so damn skilled, or how he acquired his abilities. He did know that he was former CIA and had served a good few years in the Marines. But what happened in between? Better yet...what happened during that?

He couldn't help but to obsess over this now. He'd pulled up as many files on Grimborn as he could, from his time in the military down to his high school days. And so far he was piecing something together.

Finally, the man smiled as he had a solid story. It was a guess at best, but a mildly educated one at that.

"Okay. Viggo Grimborn joined the Marines at the age of 17, getting by on a waiver. He quickly rose their ranks due to his physical prowess and mental abilities. After several promotion board visits and a good bit of referencing, he retired from the military at the age of 26 and was recruited into the CIA's special OPs division. From there he led a black ops team under the name of S.O.U.L. During his time with them, he was drafted into a government experiment to enhance the human body." He pushed for a moment as he looked across the queen sized bed to Astrid , who'd been locked into the explanation.

"And it worked. Too well. About two years later he was discharged from the CIA due to mental instability after a mission gone wrong."

"How wrong?" She asked

"His whole team died except for him. The guilt and the memories from it all seemingly drove him insane. He must've rehabilitated somehow since then. But after that he basically dropped off the map. Until he became the biggest crime lord in Dragons Edge history."

"So he's a war get turned to a life of crime then?" Astrid asks as she moves underneath the brown duvet on their bed, getting a nod in response.

"And he's serious about everything. Especially his younger brother Ryker. He recruited him into this life after finding his brother down on his luck and buried in gambling debt about five years ago."

Hiccup slid his phone onto the nightstand nearby and crawled under the covers as well, smiling softly. "I know it's a lot but I'd like to think that story adds up. It makes more sense than any other."

Astrid chuckles softly "What others did you come up with?"

"A lot. One of them being that he was a mutant, but that one didn't have much support." He said with a chuckle of his own as he rested his head against his pillow.

"Well I'm glad you figured this out. Or seemingly did." She says as she rests her head upon his chest, Hiccup smiling while bringing an arm around her gently.

"Let's focus more on that tomorrow." Astrid says as Hiccup moves over to flick off the lamp.

"Don't go obsessing over it."

His face softened slightly as she said this, and he merely nodded before replying "Don't worry...I won't."

Morning

Astrid released a yawn as she and Heather met each other in the kitchen. "Morning" the blonde said to Heather, who offered her a mug of coffee.

"Morning." She replied as she blew gently upon her own cup, Astrid giving a thanks and doing the same.

"So how are you feeling?" She asked Heather, who looked up from her coffee.

"Tired. Hurt.. but I'm healing slowly. It's just so hard to take in ya know?" She asks as Astrid nods.

"I know all too well. My uncle died when I was twelve and it broke me down." She says as she looks back down into her own mug.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Heather says. She did feel good to know that the pain she felt wasn't simply held to her alone. Knowing Astrid shares the same feelings, knowing that there were more people that felt the same helped in this time.

But every time she thought about Dagur, she just saw darkness following his image. And it hurt her to think of it all.

"Let's go get a start on the day." Heather says, looking down to her outfit. She wore a blue sweater over a white sports bra and a pair of black jeans and black boots.

"Agreed." Astrid says, wearing a black tee shirt, a pair of blue jeans and some black converse. The two began to make their way towards the meeting room, pushing open the doors and being taken aback at the scene before them.

Papers and printouts scattered all across the floors, and a lot of them were pinned to the wall next to the computer with pink highlighter all over them and rubber bands connected by pins on certain parts.

They looked on in shock as Hiccup, wearing his plaid Pyjamas and white wife beater from the previous night, working frantically to organize the papers even more.

"Uh..babe?" Astrid said, watching as Hiccup turned to face them, eyes slightly red.

"It's all connected!!" He shouted.

"Oh no" Heather said softly as she approached him. "What's going on?" She asked as she lifted up one of the pages from a pile on the floor.

"I've finally figured everything out. Viggo, Ryker, Dagur, Drago...everything." He says softly.

"Didn't I say not to obsess over this?" Astrid asks as she lays a hand onto his shoulder. He chuckles upon hearing this.

"It's not an obsession. Just a spark of inspiration. I finally got something. Well...all of it now. The case I've been chasing since I got to Dragons Edge. Finally figured out."

He frowned then, looking towards the floor "And I can't even turn in what I've got...because I'm a wanted man." He sighed before moving to pick up some of the scattered pages.

"Don't stress over it. We'll help you to clear your name." Heather said as she moved to help him clean up the pages. She moved her thumb, catching a glimpse of a picture of Dagur on the page in her hand. She grimaced slightly at this but carried on.

Dragon's Edge High School

A black haired, short figure walked his way through the hustle and bustle of the morning crowd, keeping an eye on the taller figure that walked behind him. Standing at 5'10, the older(looking) boy was much taller than Gustav.

"Alright Throk, this is your first day of high school. Hiccup had you enrolled as a senior since you're biologically eighteen- but trust me- seniors suck!" He says with a sigh as a group of seniors push past him, nudging him into a locker.

He growled lowly as this happened and looked back to Throk. The clone known to most as Changewing smiled at the new environment. Since being found by Hiccup and discovering his DNA ties to Hiccup, he'd been taken in and trained by Thunderdrum and given the name Throk Haddock- serving as a younger brother to the Night Fury.

Though at times he couldn't feel more distant from his teammates and others around him. But this, high school, was something different. This was a chance to learn- not basic stuff such as math or English or anything he'd been preprogrammed with. But to learn how to interact with others.

From his lessons on sociology with Gustav and Heather, he knew already to be nice to others, because that's how he'd want to be treated. And the guys that just pushed Gustav had irritated him, though he wore a smile. He'd get them back later.

"Alright so- this is your locker. Number 234. Fair warning, people in TV shows use these way more than people do in real life." Gustav said with a smile as he opened the locker next to it- 233

"Hiccup managed to get our lockers right next to each other so we could better get on around here." He explained while inputting his combination and opening it up.

Throk nodded as he watched this motion, doing the same thing and grunting as his lock stayed locked. "Uh Throk?" Gustav called, watching as the clone ignored him and proceeded to tear the lock of of the latch.

Gustav looked around quickly then looked back to him. "Your number code is different from mine man. That's why it didn't work."

"O-oh." Throk said, flushing slightly as he gave an awkward chuckle. "I guess I got a good bit to get used to in the real world then." He says.

"Yeah. Yeah ya do. But lucky for you, we have the exact same schedule." He says

"Let me guess, Hiccup?" Throk asked with a red eyebrow raised in question. He tugged gently on the sleeve of his black leather jacket before casting a glance down to his red shirt , blue jeans and brown boots.

He looked on as another student passed by, wearing ripped black jeans, a red tank top and a chain with a baseball cap.

{Maybe I should change my wardrobe as well…} he thought as he watched the others, basically taking in their sense of fashion.

"We'll go get you some more clothes and stuff later." Gustav reassures him as he threw his satchel over his shoulder. "For now let's head to Literature and get ready to get bored to death."

Lunch

Gustav sighed as he set his lunch tray down onto a round white table near the back window of the cafeteria. He whipped his head up upon hearing multiple Oohs and Aahs from the students, smirking slightly as he saw Throk approaching with a plate piled with about two servings of every food they offered.

"That metabolism must be crazy!" He comments as he watched this, sitting down and picking up a fork- digging into a bowl of grapes upon his own plate.

"They never said anything about a limit." Throk said with a smile as a feminine giggle soon drew his attention.

"You must really like to eat." A girl said, looking to be about 19 years old. She too was a senior, one with very short, blonde hair with her bangs parted to the right. She wore a gray jacket over a light blue shirt and a pair of black jeans with black combat boots.

"I'm Malorie. But most people call me Mala." She said, offering a hand to Throk, who shook it happily.

She gave a slight since as she drew her hand back. "Strong grip. So what's your name?" She asked, watching as he gave a smile.

"Chan-Uh I mean Throk. Throk Haddock." He said happily, looking to Gustav who gave him a thumbs up before diving back into his grapes. As Throk and Mala began to converse with one another, Gustav sighed and picked around his plate.

"First day and he's already got people falling all over him.." he mumbles before eating from a cup of strawberry yogurt. As he did this, he heard heavier footsteps approaching the table and could feel the change in wind as a hand swung towards his plate.

He could avoid it easily- but that would also put his identity at risk. So being the humble kid he is, Gustav sighed as his face was sent flying into his Mac and cheese before lifting it up with an annoyed look upon it.

"Hi Lars." He said grumpily as the larger boy laughed. Lars was a senior, about 6 feet tall and built like a NFL Star. He was the star quarterback of the Dragons Edge Thunderdrums- a football team whose name was changed for the Hero of Berk. Odd considering Berk was another city, but no one questioned it.

He gave a hearty laugh at Gustav's state of dismay. "Sorry Gustav, That max and cheese looked so good I figured you'd want to get as much as you could!" The bronze haired teen chuckled.

He soon found himself being faced with Throk, standing two inches shorter but glaring menacingly at him. "Leave Gustav alone." Throk said plainly, gritting his teeth slightly.

Gustav tugged on Throk's arm, the macaroni having been wiped away from his face with a few paper towels. "Throk just leave it."

"Throk? What kind of a name is Throk?" Lars said , much to Throk's ire.

"The name given to me by my father. Don't make fun of it. And don't mess with my friend." He said plainly, a slight tint of red glimmering in the center of his eyes. But he calmed down then, ceasing use of his powers and potentially blowing his cover.

Lars chuckled at this. "I'll make fun of and do whatever the hell I want dumbass. I'm the star of this school after all."

Throk paused, watching as Lars pointed across the room. There next to the entrance sat a glass case full of trophies, awards and pictures. His enhanced sight allowed him to see the biggest trophy in there- reading the words 'Lars Olsen. Star Qurterback'

His eyebrows furrows together as he looked to Mala and Gustav, who had looks of concern upon their faces. He then smirked and looked to Lars. "I could kick your teeth in. Or I could just one up you." He says finally before sitting back down and drinking from a glass of milk.

"You!?!?" Lars shouted. "One up me?" He couldn't help but to laugh. This guy, this newbie to DE High though he could outdo the star? "And how do you expect to do that?"

"Simple. I've noticed all these fliers for football tryouts. So I'm gonna join the team and take your spot." Throk replies, nudging a finger his way.

Lars' annoying laughter rang throughout the quiet cafeteria now. "We'll see about that newbie. Today at four. Be there and be ready to eat dirt."

"Funny. I should be saying that to you dickweed." Throk says with his smirk still shining upon his lips.

Lars finally walked away, leaving the three to their lunches. As he left, Mala rolled her eyes. "Another showing of men's bravado. Why would you go and say something like that?" She asks as Gustav nods.

"It's simple. It's my first day, and I don't wanna ruin that with a fight. So I'll just take the asshole's coveted spot to teach him a lesson about humility." Throk replies as he points a French dry at Gustav. "Because no one nesses with my friends and gets away with it."

Gustav smiles at that, a piece of macaroni falling from his now tussled black hair and onto his plate. "Thanks Throk. I really appreciate it."

"Eh, thank me when Lars cries today."

Boys Locker Room- 3:30 PM

Throk sat upon a bench in a blue tank top and a pair of black shorts and cleats, preparing for football tryouts. He hadn't heard from Gustav since they'd split after a quick trip to the store for some clothing about a half hour ago. The boy said he'd be watching from the bleachers- her as he peered outside he saw no sign of him.

His enhanced ears began to tune into the world around him, trying to place his voice within a two mile radius. Finally he heard a few shouts and what sounded like a body hitting metal, eyes growing wide as he began to rush towards the sound.

It wasn't that far even- just in the boys shower a few doors down from his spot.

"You're a fucking loser Lars!" Gustav shouted as Lars and two of his friends continued to send sharp punches into the teen's sides. Gustav's left hand was zip-tied to a pipe in the shower and his body was soaking wet from the hot water they'd repeatedly sprayed him with.

His lip had been split from his recent contact with the older teens. It started off so normal- until they dragged him here and slammed him head first against the shower wall.

He knew he could take them down easily- but he took Hiccup's lesson about concealment too far. He didn't want to risk anything, he'd never want to risk this new life he'd been given.

And so he took the beating, took it and prayed it was over with soon.

His prayers seemingly were answered as a pipe burst in the shower- steam emitting from it and clouding all of their views.

"The hell?" One of Lars friends said as he looked around. A pair of red eyes shown through the steamy mist, and the boy was pulled back in the blink of an eye with a sharp scream.

"Jackson!!" Lars and his other friend screamed as he disappeared, his blue and gold varsity jacket being tossed back and hitting the wall next to Gustav.

Lars other friend, Ryan, began to back away. "Aw no way! No fucking way am I staying for THIS!!" He shouted before rushing away from the area.

He made it out of the double doors that led to the locker room, only to be heard screaming a split second later. Lars eyes widened as he shivered in fear, backing away from the entryway and looking at the burst pipe. The metal looked like it had been burned through- and he had no idea how.

Feeling damn near defenseless, he took off in another direction and found himself near a supply closet. Opening it up, he found a large socket wrench and grabbed it for protection, while backing away towards the exit.

"I don't know who or what you are but stay back!! I MEAN IT!" He shouts while swinging the wrench. Suddenly, a concentrated stream of heat rushed towards the wrench and began to illuminate it.

It flowed a vibrant red as it heated up in Lars' hand, starting to melt just as the boy dropped it. His hands were burning now, and he stared at them while crying from the pain.

"Oh my God!!!" He shrieked, before a sudden force sent him flying out of the back exit and into the grassy field beside the track.

Gustav watched as the zip-tie snapped and he dropped to the floor, panting slightly due to the steam in the room. He looked up and immediately around his area before getting up and walking towards the double doors. On his way there he saw Jackson unconscious with a bloody nose, a quick pulse check indicated he was alive.

A few more vital checks showed that he had a minor concussion but was otherwise fine. As he walked through the doors, his eyes widened when he saw Ryan. The boys left hand was broken and there was a dent left in the lockers behind him. He too was alive.

Gustav ignored them after this and merely made his way out of the building, giving a sigh as he took a seat on the steps outside .

"Why would you do that?" He asks, feeling the presence come near him. Throk had began to reach down to tap his shoulder but stopped as he spoke. Gustav turned around with tears in his eyes.

"Why would you put yourself out there like that? Don't you think people are gonna out two and two together?!" He asks as the tears begin to stream down his face.

"I just-"

"No!" Gustav shouted now, launching to his feet and jabbing a finger into the clones chest. "This is high school. These aren't super villains! They're kids! Like me!! Like...like you.." he said, looking to the ground. "You don't have to...you shouldn't be so rough with a kid.."

At first he didn't get it, didn't understand why Gustav was so upset. Until he recalled one of their previous talks- and what he'd learned about the boy's step father. It clearly left some type of effect on Gustav- and seeing that now made him feel something.

He recognized it as pain- or a form of inner turmoil. And he sought to never feel it again. He moved to his friend, hugging him as he wept.

Gustav hesitantly hugged back , listening as Throk said "I'm sorry… I'll never hurt them again."

"Good...other than that...thanks man." Gustav replies as his tears began to cease.

"Of course. You're my best friend after all." Throk said, taking Gustav by surprise. He smiled at this. "And you're my best friend."

The two of them moved away from the steps and began their trek back to the Immortals Mansion. "So tell me about you and Mala, I saw you guys during Chemistry." Gustav said with a teasing tone, getting a light shove from Throk.

"Shut up."

Immortals Mansion

Hiccup watched as the doors opened to the manor and have a wave to the two teens. "So how was the first day of high school?" He asked as he approached Throk with a smile.

"It was eh..,eventful." The clone boy replied with a smile of his own. "But I loved it."

Hiccup blinked in response. "Really? I hated high school." He said as he brought a hand to his chin. "Though I did graduate early though." He said, getting a chuckle from Gustav.

"That's Great Hiccup. But we have a Star Wars marathon to start and I've gotta give Throk here a crash course in talking to girls."

Hiccup smirked as he heard this. "A girl? That's great. But let me tell ya something, relationships are nothing but abusive and cruel." He swore, getting a swat to the back of his head from a blonde as she passed by.

"See?!" He said as he motioned towards her before walking off behind her.

He jogged to catch up to the weather bender and watched as she flipped through pages of a book. She was wearing her work uniform- a white button up shirt, navy blue pants, black shoes and a holster.

"I see someone's getting right back into the policing business." Hiccup says with a smile.

"And quite forcefully I might add. It's crazy- a criminal will think they're getting away and run into a random bit of fog that throws them off. " she says with a smirk, getting Hiccup to look a bit concerned.

"You're using your powers at work now?"

"Only in minor instances, nothing that'll seem too out of the normal to watchers." She says in a reassuring tone as they enter the meeting room, setting her folder down by her chair before sitting in said chair.

"Well that's good..so um… any news on Uh."

"No...I'm sorry. I wish u could find more. I've got the police reports and CSI images but nothing to deter your name." Astrid says with a frown as she looks to Hiccup, who nods in response.

"I gotta say, whoever did this to me really planned it out well. And then there's Viggo. That bastard could be up to anything- doing anything to free Ryker.. he said as he looked towards the computer

"Or he could be doing nothing at all." Astrid said, trying to reassure him once more

"Exactly… and that's what's concerning me." Hiccup says as he turns to face her once again. "A waiting enemy is a dangerous enemy."

His words carried true. As they had their meeting, across the city Viggo had a small meeting of his own. He sat down before a series of computer screens with a his helmet on his lap, smirking as a black clad figure approached.

It was a female wearing a black and gold suit with a black mask covering the top of her head, eyes and nose- yellow eyes glimmering in the dark.

"Sleuther. Took you long enough to report back." Viggo said as he turned to face her, looking on as she crossed her arms.

"I was busy." She replied nonchalantly.

"Hm." He merely nodded in response. "Have you learned anything?" He asks her, watching as she shrugged. "Not yet. Only met the guys today so…" she carried on, Viggo sighing.

"Ah, no need to rush. You'll have plenty of time to collect what I need...that is all." He says before waving her away, listening as her footsteps began to leave the area.

"I'll find out more on the others tomorrow." He said with a smile as he looked at an image of the Immortals.

A bit of a slow and short chapter but I needed to let it be known what's going on with Changewing and Fanghook. What's a hero story without high school drama right?

Hope you liked this one and please come back for more! Love u guys!


	13. Arc 2:The Scavenger

**_Dragon's Edge Shipping Yard- 3 Months Ag_ o**

"Unload the truck! Be quick!!" A voice shouted to two men as they moved several items from the back of a black pickup truck in a hurry. The man who called to them had a black scraggly beard and long hair, as well as cold eyes.

"We're moving Johann, we're moving." One of the men said while placing some of the items they'd found onto a metal table. "All this stuff left over from all these big fights- we've got stuff from San Fransokyo, gear from Arrendale, even from Corona." The man stated with a smile as he meddled with a metallic purple gauntlet.

Johann walked over to him and looked over it all, picking up a sword and looking it over. "And all this will be perfect for what I have planned." He says with a toothy grin.

"And what would that be?" The man asks while looking to Johann.

"I'm a trader. I trade things. While most others trade antiques, or information. I personally enjoy finding the rarest of items and selling them off to the highest bidder. With these items my business will skyrocket, as I'll be better equipped against the potential dangers I'll face." He explains, getting a slightly lost look from his ally.

"Why don't ya just take a team with ya?"

Johann rolled his eyes. "And share the profit? Surely you jest." He complains as he points the oddly curved sword at the man, a bit too playfully. "I don't like...sharing."

"Eh..noted." The man replies. "So why did ya need me here?" He asks, the question having prodded at the back of his mind for a while now. He'd helped Johann to procure these items, so what else could he possibly need from him?

"You have degrees in electrical engineering, you're a gifted mechanic and even own a metal shop. You, along with Halstead" Johann says as he points to the Africa American man who'd come along and was still unloading the truck. "Are going to help me build the perfect scavenger suit."

The man couldn't help but to smile as he heard this. "Now that's an idea I could get behind. I never really got the chance to put my skills to work...ya know apart from my actual job." He says, waving off the second part of his statement.

"Get ready gentlemen. Because with our skills, We're going to make a killing." Johann says with a grin as the other two men smile as well.

 ** _Now_**

The Dragon's Edge Shipping Yard was usually a quiet place, as rarely anything or anyone dared to venture out there. Although tonight seemed to be someone's lucky night- or rather unlucky. A man wearing a black suit with a silver diamond on the center of his chest and two silver gauntlets upon his arms had taken to raising havoc there.

He fired out a burst of energy that rippled through the air and almost hit Stormfly, who quickly flew out of the way. As she did this, Changewing charged a burst of heat and sent it towards the man.

"Why the hell is this guy out here again?" Throk asks as he gives chase to the man, who'd taken flight using jet thrusters in his silver boots.

"Apparently he's got a score to settle with some scavenger who operates out here." Came a response from Night Fury who ran along the top of a crane before leaping into a tuck and gliding down onto a shipping container below.

"Okay… and why are ALL of us here to stop him?" Astrid asks as she watches Throk take out one of the man's thrusters, the two tackling one another to the ground below.

As she hovered in the air, a strange whirring sound drew her attention. She swiftly turned around and found severa black and silver drones hovering around her. "Huh. Guess that's why." She commented before clapping her hands together- causing several streams of lighting to strike her immediate area and take down the drones.

As those drones fell, more and more began to appear.

Some of them flew towards the ground and began to conjoin, forming into a robotic being that stood at about 12 feet tall. "Why!?" Snotlout shouted as he began to open fire on the mechanical menace. One of the drones that had formed the forearm, shifted in a strange notion until several blades protruded from its sides. The drone began to spin in a circular motion, forming a buzzsaw for the robot to attack with.

Snotlout sighed as he lept to the side and switched his weapons to his Semi-Automatic- opening fire on the buzzsaw and tearing through the blades with a few precise shots. He then rolled back and loaded up a new clip of ammunition- different from his last one.

Now every shot fired off had an explosive effect to it- and began to tear into the robot's main body components.

As he did this, Windshear rushes towards it and launched out her razor whip, nailing it in its head. She used this swing around to the back of the robot and proceeded to slap two explosive disks onto the back of its head. With a quick backflip and hook release, she landed safely below as they went off, taking off its head.

"This is going rather well." Came Typhoon's voice over their communicator system- she swiftly made her way through the drones in the air by bouncing off of them and delivering Mach 10 punches to the centers while doing so. As she reached the last drone in her path, she smiled while phasing her hand through its systems and tearing out its wearing, then three falling towards the ground below.

"Now how do I wanna do this? Rotate my hands to get some wind flowing? Vibrate my feet? Maybe flap my arms at Mach 7 to hover?" She wondered aloud, giving out a "Yelp" as she was swiftly caught by Night Fury who'd been gliding nearby.

"I say an assist works." He says as they land next to Windshear and Nightmare.

"Alright that takes care of the drones." Night Fury says with a confident smile as Nightmare holsters his weapons and looks to him. "What did you do?" He asks

Night Fury shrugged "Jumped off stuff and punched a few drones while disconnecting the user from all of their systems." He says.

"If they were disconnected, how'd they go all Voltron on us?" Windshear asks as she crosses her arms.

"Isn't that the question of the day?" Night Fury asks- watching as Changewing and Stormfly hover overhead with the man responsible wrapped up in a steel beam.

Changewing proceeds to drop the man onto the ground next to everyone before landing, smiling .

"And I gotta say, good job hiding your identity Throk." Night Fury says, admiring the green mask that Throk wore over his face. It was built similar to Captain America's helmet, ear holes and all. It lacked the wing design but instead offered black lenses over his eyes. He couldn't help but to smile at the compliment, the mask had been a gift from Hiccup after all.

"You just wanted to compliment your own work." Throk comments as he looks over to the downed man. "So what do we do about him?" He asks.

"Jail him." Astrid replies.

"Aw come on!!" Came a shout from above, the heroes turning and watching as Eret landed in a burst of green energy. "I take one nap and miss an entire mission!?" He asks, getting a round of laughs from the other heroes.

As they all carried on with processing the man, a figure wearing a black hoodie lurked around the site of the battle. "Holy shit.." he whispered to himself as he looked at the mess that had been left.

Moving with haste, he looked over to the distracted Immortals who stood about 70 feet away, and moved to pick up one of the downed drones. He took off with it, making note of the area to come back later.

But for now, this one would do.

Trader's Den

The sound of water running in the sink as Johann dragged a razor over the sides of his face were quite loud within the safe house. He then ceased it- turning the knob to stop the water flow- and wiped off his face. His beard now neatly trimmed and teeth bearing bits of gold, Johann smiled at his appearance before walking away from the mirror.

He looked over to the workshop area, where Jesse, his other worker, hadn't moved from that area all day.

"Just what are you working on?" The Trader asks as he slides a white wife beater over his head and tugs lightly on the bottom of it.

"Trying to get the core of this thing you found in Canada. It's some tough shit." Jesse replies as he stops for a moment, the green stone on the table before him glowing slightly. It's outer casing had been cracked, and energy began to seep from inside.

Small bits and bursts here and there, though they did nothing more than burn clothing. "It's pretty damn tough. I'm actually kinda scared to go any further."

"So the damn things releasing energy with every new crack...and you're still drilling into it?" Johan asked, getting a "Yea." In response

He rolled his eyes at this. "That's a horrid idea." He said while reaching into a refrigerator and drawing out a bottle of beer. The Trader then proceeded to crash down onto the couch behind him, flicking on the 52 inch flatscreen television before him.

As he began to watch a simple cartoon, the door burst open with Halstead rushing into the safe house.

"Guys! Look what I got!!" The man said as he slapped the drone down onto a vacant table in the worship, Johann and Jesse walking over to view it.

"Well bloody hell. It's amazing!" Jesse began

"It's astounding!" Johan added

"It's a drone!!" The two finally said in unison, much to Halstead's dismay. "This isn't your simple drone. I just watched those Inmortal yanks fighting a whole army of these things. With enough of them- they match together and shift parts to form a robot!'"

"You mean like Voltron?" Johann asks, his interes having been piqued.

"Yes!" Came Halstead as he sat down at the table and began to remove the outer plating of the drone.

After removing the top plate and setting it aside, Johann picked up the plate and looked over it. "There's barely a scratch on this plating.

"The real damage is on the inner pieces, anything without that plating is pretty much shot." Halstead said with a wave of a screwdriver as he removed the drone's camera and set that off to the side for later.

"And you found this where?" Johann asked.

Outside

The Dragons Edge Police Department has flooded the area, all of the other drones being looked at and marked as evidence.

The theee men stood on a shipping container from a good length away and watched this, Johan cursing "Shit." As the materials were confiscated.

"We've gotta get some more of those drones. We'd make a fortune off the material alone. And those processors, if we could copy that tech we'd be on top in no time.." Jesse said as Halstead looked through a pair of binoculars.

"Looks as though that'll be a pipe dream. There's no way we can get those things now. And the one we have is fried for the most part- all we've got is material and a damaged camera." He says

"Then let's make it work." Johann says as he turns and begins to walk away, leaving the other two in confusion.

"What?" Halstead asks as he begins to follow.

Johann hung over the side of the container before dropping down onto a crate below. "Let's make it work." He said, keeping his movement back towards the safehouse.

"How the hell do we do that?" Jesse asks as he follows the two. Johan opens the door, letting them in before slamming it shut and locking it.

"We upgrade my suit with what little tech and material we've got. With those upgrades I'll go and get some more of those drones from the DEPD evidence room."

Jesse And Halstead paused to look at him, Jesse chuckling as Halstead shook his head. "This is some big time shit you're talking about. We're small timers- scavengers. You're a trader! You're talking about actual breaking and entering! Robbery!!" He shouted as Jesse continued his laughter

"He must be joking." He says to Halstead, while Johann shakes his head. "He must know that's a horrible ide- you know that's a horrible idea right?" He asks as he looks to Johann.

"It's not a horrible idea. It's a damn good one. Where's the harm in going for it?"

"You could get arrested! We all could!! " Jesse shouts as he throws his hands around in anger. "Why would that EVER be a good idea?"

Johann places a hand onto their shoulders and looked both of them in the eye. "I get caught- that's on me. You guys have no ties to me… but if I succeed…" he says, getting annoyed looks from the two.

"We've made a small fortune trading. But I think it's time to go bigger." He says, stepping towards the workshop area.

"And this?" He says, lifting up a piece of plating in reference. "This is bigger."

Jesse And Halstead gave one another a knowing look, then let out a sigh as they moved over to Johann.

 _ **Immortals Mansion**_

Hiccup sat back in his chair while going over bits of evidence for what felt like the millionth time in a row. He'd finally managed to find something, Foote prints at the scene of the crimes. They didn't match his own, they were heavier and a bit wider than his actual prints. With any luck, this could be considered a start to clearing his name.

He looked on as Eret entered the room with Snotlout, the two of them leaning against the computer and looked to Hiccup. "So...how goes the name clearing?" The Brit asked with a smile.

"It's uh...it's going." Hiccup confirmed with a nod as he looked up to them.

"Great! Now let's go." Snotlout said with a fake smile as he looked down at his cousin

"Let's go? Uh...where?" Was Hiccup's response.

"Out. You need to get out more man. You've been raging over this for weeks now and you need a break." Eret says as he steps forward.

"I can't go out. I can't even show my face in public!" Hiccup complains much to their dismay.

"Then let's go somewhere not public." Snotlout says with a smirk. "I know a place from my times slimming with Drago. If we get lucky we'll even find some heads to bust tonight."

Eret looked on in confusion. "I never was told of any such places here." He said, getting a shrug in response.

"Gotta be a top man."

"I was- ya know what never mind." Eret concludes, the both of them looking back to Hiccup who actually seems to be considering it.

"I swear if I get poisoned I'm strangling one of you." He says with a finger pointing their way, both black haired men smiling at this.

"That's fair." Eret said finally. "Alright so the plan is set. We'll head to that strange club, cut a bit loose and if necessary- stop a few crimes."

Snotlout rolled his eyes. "Even though is supposed to be something of a night off."

"Great." Hiccup says with a smile as he turns back to the computer

 _ **That Night- DEPD Building**_

The night was quiet as everyone prepared to change shifts for the night. People behind desks continued with their nightly routine of transferring paperwork while many vehicles dispatched for the nightly patrol.

Nothing new- a few people speeding and small times break ins, all easily resolved.

The real action was on the roof of the building. As an armored figure used two large mechanical arms attached to a rig system on his back to climb up onto the roof.

"I'm at the rooftop." Johann said into a comm device installed in his black plexiglass helmet- his face being hidden underneath the shielding.

"Good. The door over to your right is locked, but unlocking it'll be easy." Halstead replies as he viewed Johann's current status through a new camera installed into his helmet.

"Of course it will." Johann replies as he walks over to the door and reaches for the handle, tearing it clean off due to the enhanced strength of his suit. He smirked as his robotic attachments folded onto the pack on his back, allowing him to walk through the doorway with no issues.

Finding the evidence room was the easiest part yet. Getting past guards and more in that suit proved to be a bit difficult. And yet Johann The Trader has made it in, using his helmet to scan over everything, he found a few drones within a locker and tore the doors off of it before collecting them into a duffel bag he'd brought along.

With five drones collected, he ventured further into the room- smirking as he looked over an interesting suit, seemingly belonging to the man that controlled the drones.

He picked up the gauntlets from the suit along with the helmet, it too had a plexiglass covering. Not too similar to his own though, as it spanned from the forehead down to the eyes. He tucked those items into the bag and zipped it up right before making his way out of the room.

With a good bit of security camera hacking from Jesse and ducking and diving, Johann returned to the roof with the stolen items.

"Got it. All of what we'll need." He says into his communicator as his mechanical arms expanded and latched onto the edge of the roof, carrying down along the side to safety below.

A white van pulled up into the parking lot across the way, he quickly pulled open the back doors and tossed the duffel in before jumping in and closing them.

The van peeled off from the DEPD, with Jesse, Halstead and Johann laughing at the police department's stupidity.

"We actually pulled it off." Jesse says with a happy shout as he steers the van back to the shopping yard, looking on in the rear view as Halstead helped to remove Johann's mech arms from his back.

"You're damn right we did. And now that we've done it, I've got an idea." Johann says, bringing a sour look to Halstead's face. "Let's not get too hasty." The man warns as Johann chuckles.

"I found something else in there. The gear used to control the drones- made of the same material. I wanna add that to my suit." He explains, watching as Halstead opened up the duffel and picked up the helmet from inside.

"This looks pretty cool." He comments as the van parks near the safehouse's loading area. They all get out, Halstead lugging the duffel bag behind the other two before placing it down next to a workbench.

"Alright, let's do this." He says with a smile as he looks to Johann and Jesse- Johann already moving to take the rest of the suit off while sliding the helmet over to him.

It didn't take all that long for them to rewire and reconfigure the stolen helmet- took even less time to install the gauntlets and paint over the items. Now Johann stood tall with a newly enhanced suit, and a smile upon his hidden face.

"Systems Check." Halstead called to Jesse, the two of them standing away from the platform that Johann stood on. His rig whirred lightly as the arms unfolded and expanded, planting themselves securely into the floor before lifting him up about six feet off of the ground.

"Lift is good." Halstead says as he looks over everything on a tablet while Jesse runs things from a computer terminal nearby.

"Let's try something new, I wanna try the lasers." Johann said, causing Halstead to close the tab he'd been on and open a new one that connected to the gauntlets.

"Fire right." He said while Jesse recorded everything from the terminal and controlled the amount of force put out from the gauntlets. They were made to produce concussive force, so rather than using joules or degrees- energy blasts were measured in PSI.

This brought a smile to Johann's face, as this made things far easier for him during his runs. He lifted his right arm and took aim- firing off a burst of energy towards a metal tub that rested about thirty feet away.

The tub was sent flying across the safehouse, Halstead giving a thumbs up as Johann asked. "How much was that?"

Jesse Tyler away at the computer for a moment before answering. "About 800 lbs PsI."

Johann nodded. "Good. Good. Alright fellas. We've got a big one coming up." He begins, bringing looks of confusion to their faces.

"Haddock Industries- they're moving a shipment of tech through the city tonight and heading to Berk. We need to intercept and get some of that for ourselves, then break it down and resell it in new forms." Johann says, using his mechanical arms to walk across the platform and using his real arms to pick up a cup of soda.

The plexiglass helmet popped open, allowing him to bring the straw to his mouth.

Halstead paused, looking at Johan before looking at Jesse. "We never planned to do that. That's tonight- if we were ever going to go that big we should've planned for this weeks ago."

"Luckily I did." Johann says much to their surprise. "So you planned it without us?" Jesse asks as he walks over to the two.

"My plan involves you two. But this new addition of tech makes things much more..simple. So now I'm afraid I won't recquire your aid field wise. Except to regulate power in the suit." He says with a cocky grin.

"D-Do you hear yourself man!?" Halstead asks as he tosses the tablet onto a table nearby. "We're supposed to be a team!!" He shouts angrily

"And we are Hal. I'm just going out and getting my hands a liiiittle dirtier than usual. But the pay off from this will be WORTH IT." Johann fires back, keeping the same nonchalant attitude and grin.

"Johann we cant do this. We won't do this!" Jesse says as Johann ignores him, tapping into his gauntlet to view something else.

"The shipment moves out in twenty- suit is ready to go isn't it?" He asks, not even acknowledging their disapproval of his mission.

Jesse sighed as Halstead began to walk away, throwing up his arms in frustration at the man. "If you want to risk this- that's on you. Have fun out there." Jesse says as he walks over to the computer and removes a flash drive, placing it into his pocket.

"I think I will." Johann conforms as the helmet slides back over his face- he uses the arms to walk back over to the panel before opening the skylight above and climbing up the two steel beams that stood on either side of the panel to exit the light. "Don't worry boys, I'll cut ya a part of the check!!" He says.

 _ **East Side- Dragon's Edge**_

The smell of liquor mixed with sweat and cheap cologne became immediately overwhelming to Hiccup's enhanced nostrils as the three men- along with Tuffnut- entered the underground lounge.

Tuff visibly groaned as he watched someone take a nasty punch to the face in the corner of the room. As the man hit the floor his eyes lit up and he nudged Hiccup

"That's Alfred Bridge!" He whisper/shouted to his friend, whose eyes widened

"He's wanted for like six murders!" Hiccup says, both of them looking to Eret and Snotlout who merely smiled.

"Like I said- bust some heads." Snotlout said with a shrug.

"So that's why you brought your bags in my Car." Hiccup says as they walked over to the bar and take a seat.

The bartender was a younger woman- looking to be about 21 years old. Most likely just working here to pay off some college dead while lying to her parents that she's doing fine. When really she's not.

"What can I get you boys?" She asks, Eret replying with "Four shots of vodka- we'll decide more from there."

The woman nodded and walked away, Hiccup turning to Snot and Eret.

"So we're here to bust criminals? Not have fun?" He asked plainly, the two of them nodding.

"We know how much you like bringing down the criminal element- and this place is as criminal as it gets. Who knows, we might find you know who in here." Eret says with a smile.

Hiccup returned the gesture, then turned to Tuffnut who'd taken to playing with a pair of spoons on the counter. "And a cop as a witness." Hiccup confirms, Tuff lifting a thumbs up in response.

"Alright then. Gentlemen, let's change into our good clothes." Hiccup says, watching as Snot and Eret chuckle to themselves.

The night was just getting started.

"The night was JUST getting started." Gustav complained as he and Throk walked down into the meeting room, flicking a switch to silence the alarm that resounded throughout the mansion.

He wore a blue Batman tee shirt and a pair of black sweatpants currently- his sleepwear for the night.

Throk wore a black tank top and blue shorts, looking on in annoyance asswxurity footage showed The Dragon's Edge Division Of Haddock Industries being broke into by a man in a suit.

"Get a load of Doc Ock over here." Gustav complains to Throk, not realizing he didn't get the reference.

"Alright. Dude in a suit. Shouldn't be too hard. Everyone's either at work or out right now, so I guess it's our time to shine!" Gustav says with a smile as Toothless walks over, licking his loose dangling right hand.

He looked down to the dog and began to scratch behind his ear, whispering "Don't tell Hiccup what we're doing." And getting a lick in the face in response.

"Alright, let's roll!" He said.

 _ **Haddock Industries**_

The break-in was easier than expected, Johann thought shutting down the alarm without Jesse would be a struggle, but it was far easier than he'd originally thought. "Maybe I don't need them." He muttered to himself as he trudged along towards the shipping container- opening the back latch using his mech arms and slipping inside.

Once in, he hid himself among the various gadgets and inventions that had been stockpiled into the shipping container.

As the guards came to do a security check, they opened the container up and shined a light inside. Running the light get everything- they found nothing out of the ordinary and even shined it over a strange plexiglass helmet twice.

Closing it up tight- the men motioned for the truck driver to take off. And he did just that, with Johann inside.

A light on his suit was turned on, allowing him to get a good view at the inside of the container. "So many options to choose from. So little time."

As the driver moved onto the highway, he looked into his mirror and watched as two figures flew towards the truck. "Huh?" He questioned as they landed on the truck in a ball of flames, Fanghook rolling over repeatedly to put his suit out. "Stop doing that!" He shouted to Changewing who gave a shrug.

He leaned over the side of the truck and gave a wave. "Hey sir! I'm Fanghook, this is Changewing. We're uh, from the Immortals. We came because someone triggered a silent alarm and climbed into the back of your shipment!" He shouted to the driver, who looked on in confusion.

The man nodded after seeing an Immortals ID Card from the teen, and began to pull into an exit and off onto the side of the road.

As the truck slowed down, Johann looked around in confusion. "The hells going on here?" He asked himself before sinking back into his hiding position.

The truck moved to a complete stop, leaving the man utterly shocked- just what was about to happen? The door to the container opened and he quickly killed the lights to his suit, watching as two slightly familiar figures entered.

A hand was raised, and was also on fire now- serving as a light for Gustav and Throk.

{It's the teenage Immortals. The hell?} Johann thought as he watched them in silence from his position.

"Nothing looks too out of the nor-" Gustav paused as he looked towards the metallic arm sticking out from behind a box. He walked over to it, staring at it before turning back to Throk.

"This definitely wasn't on the inventory list." He says as he turns back to the arm.

"I think we've found our guy." Throk says as he approaches.

{Shit...Plan B} Johann looks on as the two eyeball his arm, not seeing the other mech arm whirring slowly to life nearby.

It swings at about 120 MpH, sending Throk flying out the back of the truck.

As this happens, Gustav draws his escrima sticks and takes a kali based fighting stance, watching as Johann's helmet lit up a dark blue and he stared down at him while lifting up.

"Should've just left well enough alone kid." Johann complains before swinging a mech arm at Gustav, who backflips out of the way and swings off of the open container door onto the street below.

Johann bursts from the back of the container with both gauntlets aimed at Fanghook, charging up a burst of energy.

"Who the hell are you anyways?" Gustav asks as he cartwheels to his left to avoid the large burst of concussive energy, looking at the hole left in the road from it.

"I'm the Trader. Best scavenger known to man." Johann replied while firing off another shot, this time his aim being thrown off by a sudden punch to the helmet that sent him to the ground.

His mechanized arms swung up and began to swat away at the recovered Changewing who hovered overhead.

As those two tangled, Gustav rushed up to the back of Johann and lept onto his rig, jamming one of his escrima sticks in between a few gears to jam up the left arm.

In doing this, Johann swing a hand behind himself and opened fire, sending Gustav flying into the side of the shipping container.

He tried to pull the stick free, but couldn't reach low enough to do so. This temporary distraction left him open for Changewing to send a burst of flames his way, knocking him into his back.

The rough landing caused the stick to enter its taser mode, sending a wild current through the suit.

Johann groaned as he moved slowly to his feet, trying to override the systems of his suit in order to maintain control- but they were going Haywire.

"You damn kids!!" He cursed at them as Fanghook recovered from the hit he'd taken, tapping the side of his mask to view the situation with Johann's suit.

"The more he tries to fight the system, the less control he's going to get." He says, Throk hovering next to him.

"What's happening?" He asks, Fanghook looking to him then back to Johann. This situation was becoming dire, and he didn't think Johann himself even realizes that. A system overload of this proportion put a lot at risk- including their lives.

"He's trying to get one last burst of energy from the suit, but it's system is too unstable to do it." He complains as he attempts to rush over..

"Trader Wait!!" He shouts with Throk flying off behind him. The two teen heroes rushed over to Johann, Throk flying as fast as he could to reach the man before it was too late. He didn't fully understand the technological terms behind what was happening. But he understood the outcome- BOOM. And that's no good.

The armored man ignored the two, smiling as his gauntlets lit up. They were only a few feet away now- but it didn't matter.

Soon they'd cease to exist anyways. He smirked while raising his hands up towards them- the energy that escaped from the gauntlets releasing in the form of a massive shockwave- that sent the shipping container onto its side and sent Throk and Gustav flying back- Throk throwing himself over the smaller boy to shield him.

As the dust settled, the two looked over to Johann, and found that he'd passed out. His suit was utterly destroyed now- left in tatters with the gauntlets having been blow off. His helmet was shattered, leaving his bare and now bloody face subject to the winds that blew by.

They looked down at him with pity, Gustav shaking head while popping his arm back into place.

"You...are...an idiot." He said through planted breaths while checking Johann's vitals.

 ** _The Next Day_**

"And the Immortals took the city by storm last night, thought Stormfly wasn't involved in either of these cases. " Heather reported with a smile as several images appeared on the television screen.

"Night Fury, Nightmare And Nightlight took down an entire underground club of criminals, gangsters and thugs last night- thanks to a tip off from DEPD's own Officer Tobias Thorston. And hallway across town- Fanghook And Changewing stopped the robbery of a Haddock Industries shipment- The Would be third known as Johann "The Trader" Locknear, is now behind bars after having been treated for wounds sustained in an explosion caused by his own stolen equipment."

Hiccup smirked as he watched this, leaning back in his chair. The sounds of footsteps passing through the living room alerted him, and he didn't even turn around.

"Good job boys." He said, Gustav and Throk smiling upon hearing that and continuing on into the kitchen.

 _ **Prisoner Transport**_

Johan sat there, suitless and ashamed. The orange jumpsuit that he'd managed to avoid his entire life was now a statement to the failure he'd become.

He'd tried to call Jesse and Hal, but both men merely turned him away. Now here he sat- legs and hands cuffed as an armored car delivered him to a Maximum Security prison off the coast. He looked at the two armored guards that sat inside with him, sighing softly.

"So..either of ya wanna bear a story?" He asks, getting looks of annoyance from the men.

"Hey we've got a road block up ahead." Says the driver, getting all of the men's attention.

A car pile-up had been in their way, about four vehicles altogether.

"What the hell?" One of the guards asked as the vehicle slowed to a stop.

"We gotta check this out." He said, ushering to the other guard to move out the back.

As they did this, Johann sighed once again- looong to the panel on the floor that he'd been cuffed to. He wouldn't make it very far even if he did have the freedom to run. But wishful thinking always helped

Suddenly, the wounds of groaning and something hitting the sides of the truck drew his attention, as well as the drivers.

"What the he-" the driver started, his head being stabbed into like a roast beef mid sentence. He slumped over onto the steering wheel- dead.

Johann's eyes widened as he saw this, and he quickly began to tug against the cuffs and try to break free. He found himself being too late, as a dark clad figure walked into the holding area and looked down at him.

"The Trader.." he spoke in a calm voice, sliding a sword into its sheath upon his back.

"I'm Cage...let's talk business."

……

 _ **Longest chapter yet!! 6013 words not counting this little a/n here! As always I thank you all for reading. And again, I've posted the first chapter of my first spin-off Story. It's about Elsa and its on my account.**_

 _ **Elsa: Ice Queen. Follows what happened to her after she was freed from Drago. I'd really appreciate it if you guys showed it some love , maybe shared it around a bit to people who'd be interested in reading it.**_

 _ **Thanks for sticking around, I'll try to update more and more as the weeks come- this was sparked by a random viewing of Spider-Man: Homecoming and a need to introduce Johann. Idk why but it had to be him. I also have a concept art piece from the MCU that's serving as Johann's suit here - I'll leave a link to view that in my profile.**_

 _ **Love ya!**_


	14. Arc 2: The Death In The Family

"We lost Johann." Came an obviously despaired Ruffnut.

"YOU WHAT!?!?" Came a shout from a teenaged boy in an orange, red and black fireproof suit. Fanghook's Mind was sent reeling as those words escaped the police commisoner's mouth.

The Immortals had been hailed (Fishlegs' words) to the DEPD building for a meeting with Commisioner Juan and the Twins atop their roof.

The meeting had reminded Hiccup too much of a Batman movie , but he saw the necessity in it as he heard the news that the man delivered.

Commissioner Juan was a 5'9 Latino male, normally seen wearing a white button up and gray tie with brown trousers and smoking a cigar- he had a grudges against the criminal element of Dragon's Edge.

And he actually showed an appreciation towards the efforts and help of the Immortals. Now, being here in the presence of all of them left the man a bit nervous. Twenty two years he'd been on the force, and yet he's never been met with such people before today.

"Yes. Six hours ago, the prisoner transport we'd set up for him was highjacked by a masked figure."

"A masked figure?" Night Fury asked in his modified voice- he needed to know for sure who it was and he needed to know now.

"Yes. The man wore a black suit and a black mask, that's what we saw on footage from the dash cam." The commisioner replied, watching As Night Fury grunted in slight frustration

"It's gotta be Grimborn." He says to himself, the Commisioner looking on in a mixture of shock and confusion.

"Grimborn?! As in Viggo Grimborn?"

Stormfly gave a nod of assurance towards the man. "He's been...messing with us lately."

The Commisioner couldn't help but to chuckle slightly upon hearing that. "A kingpin has been messing with a team of superheroes?" He asks, looking on at their reactions.

"Yup." Came Nightmare as he looked over the city from the edge of the roof, Nightlight looking over to him in slight confusion.

"Viggo Grimborn is a meta human." Windshear says as she approaches the Commisioner. "He managed to detain most of us on his own- he hasn't fought all of us together yet."

"Well let's pray that there's strength in numbers." Juan says while lighting up another cigar. As he did moved to do this, his lighter flickered and sparked "Damn thing." He sword while tapping against it.

"Here, let me." Said Changwing, his right pointer finger flaring up with heat as he approached. A small flame sparked from the finger, and he used it to light the Commisioner's cigar.

"Thanks kid." The Commisioner replied before inhaling. He looked over at the building across the way and sighed. "City's just getting worse and worse." He says finally, Night Fury walking over and looking down at him.

"That it is...but my father always told me something." The hero began.

"What's that?"

"The world may not look the same as you remember...but it's your duty to save it." He concluded, turning and walking back towards the team.

"We'll send a ground team to investigate the area, others will follow up on what leads we have in other locations. Mainly the shipping yard." Night Fury tells the Commisioner, the man still having his back to the heroes and the Twins.

Finally, he turned around "Alright let me kn-" he stopped mid sentence, seeing they had all disappeared. All but Nightlight, who stood there arms crossed. He looked over to him , then the Twins, and then took a look around.

"Really? No one told me?" He exclaimed before taking flight "I'll bet it's because I glow in the dark." He said with a mumble as he shot off into the sky, a green blur ripping over the dark sky.

Shipping Yard

The sounds of Throk grunting as he forced open the large metallic doors to a strange sawfhouse in the area could be heard just past the doors by Jesse and Halstead, both men looking to one another before looking back to the door.

Halstead picked up a handgun and aimed it at the door as the green suited teen walked into the safe house, followed by Stormfly and Fanghook.

"A gun?" Changewing asked as he looked to the men, Halstead shaking slightly. "Are you serious?"

"What do you people want?" Halstead asks as he slowly backs away. He's stopped in his movement as Changewing flies behind him, grabbing his gun and crushing it in his hand.

"We want to talk about Johann." Stormfly said as she walked towards the men. "And you will talk."

"Says who?" Asks Jesse, jumping back as a bolt of lightning struck his computer- courtesy of Astrid's skilled hands.

"Says me."

"Alright.." Halstead says as he holds his hands up in surrender, Jesse smacking the sleeve of his shirt against the computer to put out a small fire that hard sparked.

"Johann the Trader is an associate of you two. Did you have anything to do with his escape?"

"He escaped!?!" Jesse shouted, taking the Immortals aback. Halstead turned to his friend, then looked back to the heroes. "We didn't know he was sprung."

"Wait seriously?" Changewing asked he hovered overhead. The Titan of the team, as he'd been labeled by the media, was looking over everything in their safehouse to find any further ties to Johann, recent ones that is.

And so far, he hadn't seen anything.

"Well then. If you don't know where he's at, tell us this." Astrid began, electricity sparkling over her body as she approached the men. "Have you ever had any dealings with Ryker or Viggo Grimborn."

"Plenty." Halstead replied a bit hastily. He looked to Jesse, who began to pull up several files and more.

"We keep spreadsheets and accounts of all items we sell to people. We've had a good few deals with Ryker but never Viggo."

"If you'd made deals with Ryker, then congrats you've been dealing with Viggo too." Fanghook said as he approached the computer. "And that's a lot of deals at that." He says while downloading the files to his minicomputer.

"We'll be tricking any shipments made to them through this info..thanks for your cooperation."

Berk Speedway- The Next Day

Crowds had swarmed to the speedway, many bearing blue and red tee shirts to show support for the big race at hand. The Immortals has shown up- as both extra security and to cheer on their friend.

"I'm sitting here today with Stormfly and Night Fury- the leader of the Immortals." Heather said with a smile towards the camera as she sat and interviewed the two heroes

"How do you two feel about today's race?"

"Pretty good honestly." Stormfly said with a smile- one that was true to her emotions. Today was sure to go down in the record books.

"Same here. With all the hero biz it's nice to just enjoy a friendly competition between heroes." Night Fury says , his modified voice coming out clear as day to the cameramen and the reporter.

"It's sure to be an amazing race." Heather says she turns towards the monitor behind her. "We have your teammate- The Typhoon, going up against Japan's own racer, Gogo Tomago."

"Blue versus yellow. Love that color mashup." Stormfly says, referring to her own suit with a bright smile as she turned towards the race track.

"Looks like it's time." Night Fury says.

On the track, both speedsters stood at the ready. Cami let out a breath she'd held in before looking over to her opponent.

The yellow clad speedster of San Fransokyo used her skates to propel herself at high speeds, and used her helmet to help her process those speeds. It was more than just impressive, it was amazing to Cami.

But that didn't mean she would go down easily. Nothing was going to beat natural speed here- she was going to prove that today.

"Racers, on your marks." The announcer began, both women taking running stances and eying the end of the track.

"Get set."

{Speed...I am Speed..} Cami thought to herself, the heat of the summer sun not even bothering her enhanced state.

{Gotta go fast} Gogo has thought as she made sure her suit was prepped and ready. Her skates were at their highest speed- and yet she still had some fears for this race. But enough fear...time to woman up

"GO!"

A sonic boom appeared in the place of both women, the crowd being pushed back by the sheer force before leaping to the edge of their seats to watch the race. Their eyes panned from there to the giant monitor at the center of the field.

"They just passed through Dragon's Edge. Now moving through New York City. Now they're passing through Canada. They're circling back!!" Heather shouted as Stormfly and Night Fury smiled at the race.

"Here they come..and in first place is-"

The first blur came to a stop, Cami smiling happily as she looked back to find GoGo pulling up about three seconds later.

"TYPHOON WINS IT!!" The announcer shouts, causing the stadium to go wild.

"I knew our girl could do it." Came Nightlight as he approached the camera- waving to Heather and giving a nod to Stormfly and Night Fury.

"That was amazing." Heather comments, more than ecstatic for her friend.

"Stick around folks, we'll have an exclusive interview with The Immortals and Big Hero Six, after these messages."

The heroes had all met up at the outside of the track, just off the actual pavement to speak with one another and make congratulations where they needed to be made.

"Congratulations Typhoon." Came a young man's voice, Fifteen year old Hiro Hamada held out a hand to her- which she quickly shook.

"Thanks. Gogo you were an amazing opponent." She said to the woman, who at this point had lifted the visor on her helmet and smirked.

"You're pretty damn good yourself Big Blue." She says while offering a fist- bumping with the other speedster.

"I think both of you were amazing." Night Fury says as he, Stormfly, Nightlight and Fanghook approach.

"Aren't you Guys missing a few?" Fred, another member of BH6 asked as he looked over them.

"Some Of us were a bit too busy to make it in today." Fanghook replied while typing away at his minicomputer. "They're busy following leads."

"Leads? On what?"

"Bit of a break out. And an enhanced war vet gone rogue." Stormfly said to sum up the situation. "It's….weird."

"Huh. Well if you guys ever need any help." Wasabi said with a lifted hand .

"We'll be sure to call." Stormfly said with a smile. As they conversed, the whole stadium went dead silent as the Jumbotron went black- a black masked figure appearing.

"Hello all"

"Viggo." Night Fury said as he glared at the screen.

"I have a message for the so called Immortals." Cage would continue speaking, his cold tone putting the entire stadium into fear- save for heroes that stared down the large screen.

"There are twelve explosive charges planted throughout the city- the first of which is in the D-Train Subway tunnel on 5th Street- I will set them all off if Night Fury doesn't meet me at 2701 Wilson Boulevard in twenty minutes- you'd better hurry. Once I see you and only you- then I'll disarm them." He says, before cutting out his video.

Night Fury turned to the Immortals1 eyes locking on Cami- "Get me to that location, the rest of you head to the subway and try to find the other explosives!"

"You need any help?" Hiro asked as the Other team stood by.

Night Fury looked over at them- pondering over asking them for their assistance. Last time they fought Cage, he took down most of them on his own. But with their help…

"I'll keep you guys in contact- call if needed." He decided, walking off the track and towards the stadium exit.

The crowd began to cheer on all of the heroes as they rushed towards their respective areas- Typhoon and Gogo both taking off towards the subway to diffuse the bomb- the Night Fury getting onto his Nightcycle to ride off towards Grimborn.

—-

It was an incredibly short trip for the two speedster women- both skidding to a stop in front of the device

. Cami immediately moved to vibrate her hand through the lock on its covering, reading it open and getting ready to disarm it.

Both of them looked on in shock at what they'd found...and empty box. Cami looked at Gogo then back at the box.

—-

Hiccup arrived to the location promptly, walking in with a quiet tone. It was a dark building, no surprise there. He immediately searched the area with his thermal vision, finding no signs of life.

Until the footsteps walked his way. His eyes locked onto the dark clad figure immediately- neither saying a word.

Viggo spoke first "You know what this is correct?" He asks as he draws a sword, Hiccup moving to draw his staff.

"Obviously a fight, what's the odds?" He asks

"Simple- you win, I pull all of my operations and leave Dragons Edge. I win, I continue my work." Is the man's response as he eyes Hiccup from afar.

This left a lot to be questioned- why give it all up in a random fight?

"What's your real ca-" he paused his questioning as his helmet beeped, tapping onto the side to answer his communication device.

"Hiccup! There's no bomb in this casing. It's empty." Cami had nearly shouted into the man's ear, causing him to wince slightly. He cast a flare across the floor at Viggo.

"There's no bomb..," He says, watching as Viggo popped his neck. "So what the hell are you really getting at here?" He asks

"Simple. A challenge to see who's the best. Winner take all."

Their conversation officially ended there. Hiccup stared at the man for a moment- he stared back. Both of their eyes seeming to dare the opposer to make a move first. So Hiccup did just that.

Running full speed at Viggo, he was damn near a blur to the Norma eye, yet Viggo tracked him with ease and ducked below his first punch, coming up to deliver an uppercut to Hiccup's chin.

The Night Fury stumbles back slightly before regaining his composure and spinning towards the man, aiming a kick to the side of his head. He found his ankle being caught with ease and his body was flung aside, he turned and plunged both hands into the floor to launch himself back and delivered a kick with both feet to Viggo's face.

The opposer stumbled back before lunging st Hiccup, who dropped down to avoid the attack and watched as Viggo landed with a roll into a kneeling stance before throwing a shuriken at him.

Hiccup responded with a shuriken of his own/ using a QuickDraw method to match the speed of the other man's weapon. The two eyes each other from their positions on the floor before standing up- hiccup releasing the clips that held his cape in place and letting it drop to the floor as Viggo reaches behind his back and drew his sword.

He took a stance, watching as Hiccup drew his staff. Both men went dead silent before rushing towards one another once again- ready to go to war.

Meta connected with metal in a violent series of slashes and swings- each attack being blocked by the other man's weapon. Until finally Viggo changed his own speed, jabbing the edge of his blade outwards and slashing Hiccup across the chest, before being hit in the chest by the edge of the Night Fury's staff.

Hiccup moved a hand over the spot, a small cut had been formed but it barely broke skin- he'd be fine. Viggo rolled his shoulder slightly before continuing, Hiccup immediately parrying the first blade swing and dropping down to sweep at Viggo's legs.

He saw this and kept over his foot before bringing his own foot down onto Hiccup's with a violent amount of force. Hearing the sharp SNAP brought a smile to his masked face.

He watched as Hiccup visibly grimaced before coming back to a standing point, using his staff as support now.

The two stood silent once again, Viggo analyzing his own blade "This fight is actually keeping me on edge..good for you." He said in a cold tone before rushing st Hiccup one again

Broken ankle and all, the Night Fury still fought on as his healing factor began to heal the broken area- still keeping him slow.

He fought back as best he could , alternations between punches and staff swings, most of which went either dodged or pushed aside as Viggo drew nearer.

It was a dark time- he tried to back away at one point and soon found the man's sword slashing across his helmet in a swift motion- tearing the material open.

"Give up...Hiccup." Viggo said, Hiccup taking a breath. {He knows?!} he wondered to himself as he took another breath. "How.."

"Doesn't matter how...just matters why." Viggo replied before launching forward and taking advantage of the temporary daze he'd left his opponent in from this reveal- driving his knee into Hiccup's sternum and sending him to the floor with a sickening thud.

The Night Fury's helmet finally broke off of his head, pierced scattering across the floor beneath him as he felt a steel toed boot stomp onto the side of his head.

"It seems you won't go down." Viggo comments, lifting up his sword. Hiccup's eyes gleamed brightly, and for the first time in a long time he felt something.

He was scared.

With little to no other choice, he drew his grapnel and fired it towards Viggo's head- watching as the sharp object imbedded itself into the man's right eye.

Viggo dropped his sword and stumbled back as this happened, growling like a caged beast as he tore the hook out and covered his eye.

"Enough of this shit." He cursed as he drew out one of his modified handguns- looking on as Hiccup stood up slowly.

Three shots rang out loud, and Hiccup was left with widened eyes as he felt the liquid falling from his body. His torso and his chest had taken the shots, two to the abdomen and one tore through his ribs and out his back.

He fell to one knee, struggling to breath as he searched for a way out. It was obvious Viggo was worse than he feared- his arsenal could do this much damage with this much ease?

He could heal normally...but this felt different somehow. It felt slower- more painful. Like his powers were struggling to keep up with each wound. What the hell is going on?

He didn't have long to ponder on this- as he soon found another penetration. Looking down, he found the hilt and lower half of Viggo's sword sticking out next to one of his bullet wounds.

Falling back to the floor, he struggled for air now.

"The Night Fury….such a shame really. You left your fathers shadow, just to die by my hands." The man taunted as he stood over the downed hero. Hiccup tried to breathe, tried to fight the urge to close his eyes right there. But it was so damn hard.

He had a way out- but it wasn't sure fire.

He glared at Viggo as the man merely laughed, taking note of the blood that dropped from the left eye hole of his mask, onto Hiccups face.

Hiccup reached down, drawing one last option from his belt and pressing the activator without hesitation.

Viggo's eye widened as he moved back, Hiccul giving all of his energy into one last lungs at the man. Slamming it onto his chest, he flung himself back just as the explosive went off and sent Viggo flying across the room and into a wall.

He struggled to his feet, licking up his staff and steadying himself with it. Every step he took felt like he was walking through the fiery pits of hell on bare feet, needles clogging his veins and looking through every muscle.

He stopped at the door, looking back at Viggo as the man slowly got up.

And with that last look...he ran.

Running on a broken ankle, even for a metahuman of his caliber, was damn near impossible. He made it a half a block away before he fell onto his face next to an alley. Seeing no other way out, he dragged himself into the alley and threw open a dumpster, clenching his teeth as he pulled the sword out of his stomach and tossed it aside.

Falling onto the ground, he looked at a discarded shirt nearby and tore it apart, wrapping it around his torso to contain the bleeding there.

He wasn't going to make it. Even an idiot could see that. This would be it- the end of the Night Fury. With the strength he still in him, he dialed away at Astrid's communication number and waited, leaving his location active for her to see.

"Hello?" Her voice finally called through, a smile coming upon Hiccups now blood soaked lips.

He tried to form the words- tried to say what he needed to say here. To tell her how he loved her, how he wished he hadn't obsessed over so much...how he wished their time together hadn't been so brief.

But nothing came out, nothing but a pained groan.

"Hiccup?! HICCUP!?" She began to scream , silently praying to the Gods above that he was alright.

"HICCUP SAY SOMETHING!! Please!!" She said, her voice cracking as his voice finally came through.

Cracked, broken and raspy- he finally spoke."I...love...you…"

The smile upon his face never left, even as he crawled into the dumpster, slowly . Closing the lid over himself. Even in death, he wanted to assure the Night Fury's secret was kept safe. His team would find his body here, and hopefully this one thing would remain in tact.

He lost it all- his job, his life, and now he was losing his friends and family...this could at least be the one thing he kept.

So as the cloud finally shut over him, his eyes faltered. Until all he saw was the darkness- no words being spoken and no other sounds being heard. He focused on his breathing, until he could not anymore.

Until the pain took over.

——-

I am so sorry it took me so long to update. Been a bit busy lately, but I've finally returned. I just pray you guys still enjoy this story and this chapter is worth the wait.


	15. Arc 2: The Unexpected Return

The sun beamed down onto the flowers in the field, bathing them in its rays like a poet writing his next lines onto the page. It was like a gift from God, that is, the landscape that the two found themselves in now. She carelessly pushes a strand of blonde hair out of her eyes and watched as he picked at the flowers in the field, being ever so precise in doing so.

Finally he walked back to her, a full bouquet in hand. Without a second thought he brought them to his nose and took a smell of them- savoring the smell of the earth before gifting them to her. She repeated the action, a smile crossed her face as she looked up to the emerald eyed man.

He gave her that grin, that goofy her perfect grin that she loved so much, and she felt like she was in heaven. God what would she do without him here? Holding her? Playing with her? And motivating her above all else?

What could she do? She couldn't help but to wonder that as the skies above them churned with thunder- the clouds turning sour, a dark tone setting in. She looked to the sky in shock, then at her own hands. Try as hard as she could, nothing happened. The clouds weren't bending to her will anymore, and the rain won't stop pouring down like an angry fist upon the earth.

"H-Hiccup?" She called out as her eyes moved back to his form, causing a gasp to escape from her lips as she saw him again. He was different, he was hurt. Blood poured from his forehead and nose, his chest and abdomen now running red with substance.

He tried to speak, but words would form upon his lips as he fell back into the flower bed, soaking the petals with crimson red.

She began to panic at the sight "HICCUP?!?" She shouted and screamed, rushing over to where he'd fallen. But he was gone. He was gone and she was left there to cry over him.

Astrid's eyes burst open and she kept forward in the bed, reaching out for him and praying for his safety. As her hand grazed the spot he usually occupied, she felt tears prickling at her eyes.

Then it all came back to her. The events of the previous day. They'd found him in a dumpster of all places, unresponsive and bleeding heavily. Ankle broken, and healing factor slowed down.

She was so scared, scared of losing him as they hurried him to The mansion to be patched up. Heather and Snotlout worked their hardest, using the medical skills they'd acquired in their training to perform first aid and more. But it didn't work.

He just laid there, eyes never moving to open up and body never moving. The heart monitor that she so heavily protested hooking up to him was like a warning, a dark omen telling her to worry more.

She sat at his bedside throughout the day and most of the night, Heather soon ushering her to go and get some rest while she stayed there.

It was then that the same raven haired woman burst into the room- panic in her eyes. "Astrid!!" She shouted, drawing the blondes attention her way.

Med Bay

From the looks of things, Snotlout had gone into a raging fit after the news broke- most of the equipment was smashed against the floor and shattered, tables were bent in half and the medical bed where Hiccup had laid was torn apart.

"Where the hell could he have gone?! He was unconscious- damn near in a coma!!" He shouted as he turned towards the two women, Heather resting her hands on his shoulders in reassurance

"We'll find him..we have to." She said, looking per where Hiccup had been just hours ago.

Where the hell did he go?

——

His eyes opened slowly, his movements even slower than that as he lifted himself up slowly- feeling nothing it pain shooting throughout his body. He looked around the area immediately, finding himself in a place he had never been before. From the looks of things, it was a church. The stained glass windows and various rows of seats told him that much. He was in the pool pit, though it was drained of any water and a medical bed was sitting in it.

Pushing himself up slowly, he could hear faint footsteps and voices, arguing with one another.

"You shouldn't have brought him here!"

"I had no other choice, you heard what the scouts said!!" A female had shouted back to a man.

What the hell is going on now?

No time to wonder on that now. He grabbed the nearest weapon he could find, which at the time was a piece of broken glass lying on the floor of the pool pit. This'll do for now. He lunged aside as the footsteps got closer- waiting now for the person to reach him.

Finally, they stepped foot into the pit and soon found themself being dragged back against the wall- glass dangerously slow to their throat.

"WHO ARE Y-" he had began, the glass dropping from his hand as he realized whose eyes he was looking into.

"Just as paranoid as your father it seems." The woman said with a soft sigh, Hiccup stumbling back.

"No way in hell. You're supposed to be dead!!" He shouted as he tried to distance himself, stumbling into the bed behind them as she stared at him and gave him a smile.

"Yes that's what they think."

"Y-you've got a lot to explain...mom."

—-

It had been about an hour since they left the Mansion, an hour since Cami searched the entire city from top to bottom, every building and apartment she could phase her way into, every hospital room and flood, every single corner. And still no sign of Hiccup.

"Where the hell are you Haddock?!" The blonde shouted furiously as she thrust her leg into the side of a dumpster, leaving a large dent in it.

Cami sighed as she sat down beside the dent on the dumpster, looking up into the sky. "Please be safe."

She felt guilty- mainly due to her being the tone to find the false bomb. If she had been there...Gods if only she had remembered the address.

Why was she so stupid?!

"You alright?" Came a voice, speaking in a Scottish accent deeper than any other she'd heard, besides Stoick and Valka.

She turned and watched as the red haire figure slid down the side of the building and landing gracefully on the top of the dumpster, looking down at her from there before dropping to the ground beside her.

"Huntress? The hell are you doing in Dragons Edge?" Cami asked as she rose to her feet.

The woman, who wore a black and pine green sleeveless, stared at her through the white eyes of her domino mask for a moment. "Got a call from Heather. Ye folks are in a bit of a situation it seems." She replies, Cami sighing softly.

"A bit of a situation? Hiccup is missing and for all we know he's dead, there's two incredibly dangerous criminals on the loose, and I can't help but feel that it's my fault."

Merida nodded softly as she listened to the speedster, placing a hand onto the woman's shoulder. "Like I said, a bit of a situation." She says as she pulls up her minicomputer, a hologram popping up from the wrist.

"Lucky for ye, the lad has a tracker in him." She says, causing Cami's eyes to go wide.

"How the hell did I not know this?!" She asks in a fit of rage as Merida shrugs.

"He didn't tell too many people. Just his da, me and Heather. Seems Heather May have forgotten." She says as his location soon appears on the gram

"Found him. And good lord he's in Berk." She says- eyes widening as she looks at the location.

Berk

"I don't get it. You died like twelve years ago! How the hell are you here?!" Hiccup shouts, anger coursing through his veins as he glares at the woman. She looked the same as she did when he was twelve, save for a few gray strands riddling her hair.

"I had to leave Henry."

He shook his head wildly as she said this, pointing an accusing finger her way. "No, fuck no! We buried you! We fucking buried y-"

"Watch your mouth!!" She shouted back, causing him to shrivel slightly- his demeanor and attitude changing.

"Who are you?" He'd ask- his mind defusing to believe what his eyes and ears were beholding. "Am I asleep? Am I dead? Is that it? What is this?!" He asked- his rage building up once again as he stared at what he truly believed to be a ghost.

"This is Saint Paul's cathedral. And you're very much awake and alive. As am I." Valka responded as she moved towards the bed and began to toy with the sheets- moving her mind from the topic of the conversation for a bit.

"There's no way you're alive. We buried you, I cried over you." He said, his eyes panning down to the floor.

"As you did for Scott. And yet here he is." She says,causing him to whip around to face her.

"How do you know that?" He asks. This was the strangest situation he'd ever been in. Even stranger than the supposed dragon in the woods.

"I've been watching you son. Making sure you were alright. When you broke away from your father, I naturally had to figure something else out." She said, confirming the suspicions that had arisen.

"Heather… she knew the whole time didn't she?" He asks, the feeling of betrayal that had arisen when he first laid eyes upon her only seeming to get stronger with every second that passed. He'd felt betrayal before- several times throughout his life. Each one managed to cut deep, but this one was different. This one was killing him.

"Why?" He asked, never moving his eyes from the floor even as he turned his back to her.

"Hiccup.."

"Why would you do this? Lie to us, leave us?!" He turned with a shout. And yet the look on his face as tears streamed down his cheeks was what began to break Valka.

"I...I was wrong Hiccup. But I needed to do this to keep you and Stoick safe."

"Explain yourself…" he stated while wiping his eyes.

"I was desperate." She started, taking a seat.

The scene settled upon a younger Valka, at the age of 15 in her first Cloudjumper suit. She waved happily to the crowd that had formed as she tied the rope around the hands of the villain known as Thumper.

"I had just stopped the Thumper from rampaging in the city, and felt a great swell of pride. That was my first time going out as a hero."

From there on she'd go on many more missions- eventually finding herself in a team up with another new hero known as Thunderdrum.

Thunderdrum was a young man , around 17 and yet he was great for his age. Standing at a height of 6'2 and 212 lbs, he truly was a force to be reckoned with.

"In time I found a friend...a partner...a boyfriend." She continued, a tear steaming down her eyes as she recalled her and Stoick's time together.

"We soon formed a family. Gave birth to a small boy who shared our abilities. Save for my flight- he retained my flexibility and muscle structuring and some of Stoick's strength and durability." She said, casting a smile towards Hiccup.

He shifted slightly. "I uh, don't really need a whole History Of.." he says, Valka nodding.

"I'll get right to it then." She says.

"It was twelve years ago- New Years Eve. Several flights had been planned, several trains had been sent and several family trips had been made worldwide. But somehow, all of them ceased. When that happened, Thumper made a shocking reappearance. His shockwave creation ability was enough to rival your father's strength. He and I both knew the risks of it all- and we made a collective decision to leave you with Gobber."

She sighed. "I never knew that would be the last time I saw either of you. It seemed like business as usual."

I was wrong

Valka sighed softly as the wind rushed throughout her hair- her yellow eye mask fitting snugly to her face while she carried the large man towards the Train station below.

"You need to cut back on the steak Stoick!" She shouts, getting a laugh from Thunderdrum as she drops him.

"I'll go and see what I can do about retiring and fixing the trains, once they're up these people can get on with their holiday plans."

"And I'll head and find Thumper." She replies, still hovering in the air above him.

"You be careful- Odin knows what he's got planned this time."

"I'll be fine. Ye worry too much." She says with a smile before flying away.

The winds rippling through her hair calmed her even as she approached the plane- several thousand feet above ground now.

She watched as the passengers sat in fear of what was happening, before launching herself towards the door and prying it open.

Everyone shouted at this, and Thumper turned around to face her.

"Wel well we'll. Look who decided to show." The black haired man said as he adjusted the shockwave gauntlets on his wrists and aimed one at her, the other pointed towards the back of the plane.

"Thumper. It's been too long...about seventeen years right?" She asks

"And you haven't aged a day. Still look like that kid that locked my ass up nearly two decades ago."

She nodded "Thanks. You look like shit by the way." Was her response . "Now what's the deal? Why are you doing this and exactly how did you get free?"

"A little fan club or some shit. Cult of the Oculus. They freed me and gave me explicit instructions- and one helluva pay off."

"Interesting. I'll be sure to go after them once I've finished with you." She says as she takes a stance.

"Nah, trust me. You're gonna wanna focus on them instead of me." He replies before clenching his opposing fist- launching a small shockwave through the back of the plane and tearing the back off.

"NO!" She shouted as some of the passengers went flying- launching off after them at twice the speed of sound.

She managed to two of them right off the bat, but where still so many more falling. And then there was the matter of the rest of them still on the plane. That's 132 people- she couldn't..could she?

She had to bite her tongue now as she rushed back towards the ground-35,000 feet down while moving at 1,543.5 MPH. It seemed impossible unless she pushed past her limits.

She had to do it. So after dropping off those two, she took a deep breath. And she took off with a sonic boom, flying off and moving around ten times the speed of sound. Valka managed now to get the rest of the people who had begun to fall, but there were still people in the plane as it was going down.

Making her way back to the plane, she felt the struggle. Her vision was blurry and she was struggling to keep up. She crashed onto the plane, looking around at all the terrified people.

"Everyone stay calm!" She shouted as she moved to her feet, stumbling towards the front of the plane. Thumper was nowhere to be found now, but suddenly she felt what everyone else did.

Pure fear.

The left wing of the plane was blown off by another shockwave- leaving her in awe at the man's accuracy. They had to be at 19,000 feet off the ground now, and with a clipped wing they'd be falling even faster.

I had no idea what to do next. My powers had been maxed out, and my body as too tired to even fly at Mach 1 let alone 10. But I still tried.

She turned towards the passengers, immediately grabbing two.

I grabbed a woman and her child, and took off towards the land below as fast as I could. The fear in their eyes served as motivation as I launched myself onwards. We nearly crash landed.

She sat the two down gently onto the shoreline of the beach, before turning back towards the rest of the plane. It was falling fast. She moved to launch herself forward, but stumbled and eventually fell face first into the sand.

"Cloudjumper!!" She'd heard the little girl yell as she began to black out. Finally, the world around her fades to black. And when she finally woke up, she was laying upon a bed in a dark room- lit up only by a white wax candle on the bedside table next to her. As she arose, she found herself growing dizzy with every movement.

Her mask laid on the table besides the candle, and the door began to open. Cloudjumper launched to her feet, taking a defensive stance as she eyed the door.

In stepped the same woman who she had saved from the plane earlier on. She looked at her with a look of pity as she closed the food.

"You're finally awake. We had begun to get worried," she spoke softly. The woman had light blonde hair and green eyes, eyes filled with worry.

"Where am I?" Valka asked as she sat back down.

"You're in a cathedral. My daughter and I brought you here."

"What of the plane?"

"Crashed, sadly." The woman responded as she moved towards Valka slowly.

Valka looked up at her, tears welling up in her eyes. "I-I failed…" She said, her eyes dropping down to the floor. The woman rested a hand upon her shoulder then, causing her to look up.

"Everyone can't do everything on their own...that was out of your league. But I wouldn't recommend going back to Berk...they'll crucify you."

Valka shook her head wildly as she heard this. "I can't leave this situation...can't leave so many questions unanswered I can-"

"You can And you will. You saved my life but more importantly, you saved my daughter. Accept my help Cloudjumper...leave them. Live here, live in the shadows. Because if you return to the light, they will destroy you." The woman says as she drags a finger through Valka's hair, taking a step away from her then.

"And I don't want my little girl's hero to be made a fool of… if you don't disappear, if you return to them, you will never recover. But here we can help you, we can make your life better."

"I have a life! A family, I refuse to leave them behind over something this..c-controversial." She says, looking on as the woman gives a sigh and takes a seat.

"What you've gotten yourself into is much deport than what is shown on the surface Valka...Thumper was sent there, hired to lure you in because the Cult of the Oculus need you. They believe your powers , your spirit to be that of Oculus, the being of life." She explains, leaving Valka with a blank expression upon her face.

"You sound insane." She says as she moves to stand up, the woman rushing to her feet and moving towards her.

"I understand I do...so I suppose it's best if I show you." She says, watching as Valka lifted an eyebrow in confusion. The woman's hand shot out against Valka's chest and her body dropped to the floor, though this was strange.

She could see herself falling from a third person perspective, as though she was watching another person.

"What in the Hel?!" She shouted as she looked to her hands, watching as they flowed with a whitish tint and held some form of transparency to them.

"What did y-"

"I freed your spirit so that you May view what I have seen." The woman explains, the room around them soon shifting into a new scene.

They were in the middle of a battlefield

"Centuries ago, the God of Life known as Oculus led an army of his followers into war against Thor, Odin and Borr. The war was an everlasting struggle for power and control, which soon ended with Oculus sacrifice his own life to trap the three Norse Gods."

Valka could see all of it, the height of the Gods alone sent a shiver down her spiritual spine as she watched them conflict with one another- her visual soon changing to one of the four of them on a strange pedestal, with Oculus exploding in a burst of light, and the Norse Gods being trapped within the pedestal.

"It was foretold that his spirit would return in a new form centuries later- a belief that had been passed down since the war and forged the Cult of Oculus."

Valka turned back towards the woman as the world around them shifted back to the room.

"Why me?" She finally asked, the woman giving a curt nod in response.

"Because they're right. Oculus' spirit lies within you, it's shown in your mannerisms, your physique and your powers."

Valka snorted upon hearing that. "I fly, I'm a bit stronger than others and I'm flexible, how-"

"All traits possessed by Oculus. There's one such ability you lack...the energy of life. But if you stay here with us, we can protect both you and your family from them..and we can train you to hone that energy."

Valka paused for a moment, considering the offer and looking down at her body.

"Can I have my body back now?"

Present

"From then on, I stayed and trained with them. Learning self defense among other arts. After three years I unlocked the energy of life as they called it...and it was amazing."

"You actually have it?!? So wit...does that mean you're a ..a God He asks, still trying to wrap his head around everything she'd just said.

"Technically speaking, yes." She said, confirming his question- and causing his eyes to widen in shock as he sat down.

"Sweet Thor I'm a demigod…" he says then, looking down at his hands and back up to her. "Do I...is that like, genetic or?"

"That much I do not know. From what I've been told so far, no." She says, taking a seat on the steps nearby. Hiccup struggled for a moment to understand the situation. But finally it dawned upon him.

"How did you find me?" He asks finally- Valka perking up at the question.

"I've been watching. During the threat at the stadium, I was notified that your team was set to move and naturally someone from here followed. They stayed in the shadows, and then pulled you from your little manor." She says plainly.

"...huh."

Immortal Manor

"I don't get it, if we have his location why are we not out there trying to find him?" Eret asked as he drove a green lit fist through one of the training room punching bags and turned to face Astrid and Heather.

"There's been a bit of interference. I didn't want to follow that signal and wind up trapped or mistaken." Heather said as Astrid gave her a glare

"I'm more concerned with you forgetting he had a tracker in his body." She said as she hovered overhead, launching a bolt of lightning at a training dummy.

"I honest to God forgot all about it." Heather says with a gentle shrug.

"Whatever…" Eret replies before picking up a bottle of water. It seemed the second he twisted the cap off, the door to the training room slid pen and Gustav ran in wearing his suit, minus the mask.

"Snotlouts gone!"

The adults in the room gave one another a knowing honed before rushing out of the room.

—-

"Why the hell would he be here?" Snot asks as he adjusts the heat settings for his helmet and looks over to Merida and Cami, the former giving a shrug.

"Idunno. All I know is the lad's tracker led here." She says before knocking back a steel tipped arrow and preparing for Snotlout to open the door.

He gave a soft sigh as he kicked it open, peering into the dimly lit Cathedral. The trio walked down the aisle slowly, keeping their eyes peeled. Cami could've sworn she'd heard voices and slight movement, but the area was completely empty.

The further they got towards the pool pit, the more questions arose. Snot peered into the pool pot, finding a medical bed and some blood stained sheets tossed onto the floor. There were pieces of broken glass lying around too.

He didn't have much time to think on the view, because he turned around a split second later and aimed one of his handguns at a figure standing in the shadows.

"Show yourself." He said plainly, watching as the tall figure stalked out of the darkness and into the light of the candles inside.

"Hey guys." Hiccup said, moving an arm over the bandages on his torso.

"Hiccup!" Cami said as she rushed over and scooped him up into a hug, Snotlout bolstering his weapon and walking over alongside Merida.

"What the hell were you doing out here?" He finally asks, Hiccup looking towards the entrance to the back of the church then back to him. "Visiting an old friend."

——-

Sorry for my absence. I recently suffered a major loss to my family and it's honestly been hard to deal with things since then. But I'm getting my motivation back, thanks to certain things. You guys included.

Thanks for reading, and I promise to update again soon. I also apologize for the short chapter.

Y'all have a great time- I'll be back soon!!


	16. Arc 2: The Downfall of the Immortals

Throk slid his book bag off of his shoulder and onto the floor beside his desk, his eyes moving from the bag and upwards as a voice called towards him. It was Mala, who he'd come to call a close friend within the short time he'd been attending the school. He gave a smile, wish she returned as she moved her hands into the pockets of her black leather jacket. "Feel like going to a movie after school?" She asks, Throk nodding .

"Definitely. I'll let Gustav k-"

"I meant just us, man." Mala said with a soft chuckle at his suggestion, Throk's eyes widening slightly in confusion for a moment. "Oh."

"Yeah...definitely." He finally confirmed. Mala smirked at him before giving a wink and walking to the back of the classroom. A few seconds later, Gustav walked up and took the empty seat before him, dropping his bag onto the floor before looking at Throk.

"What's up with the happy face?" He asks while pulling a pencil from his pocket and opening his notebook.

"I got a date tonight." Throk replied.

Immortal Manor

"We've had four more breakouts since our last confrontation with Viggo." Heather comments while typing away at the computer- Astrid, Hiccup, Snotlout and Eret standing behind her and watching each profile that popped up.

"That's Arthur Meldon- Gaslight." Hiccup commented at the first face to pop up. It was an African American male with a purple helmet on his head- the helmet based off of Gladiator times. "Enhanced endurability, flight, enhanced strength and toxic gas projection."

"He uses his gases to create poisons and hallucinations." Eret confirms as the next profile pops up. "That's Hotstreak. Speedster able to provide electrical charges from his body." The man had jet black hair which had been slicked back, along with a beard and mustache.

"He tried to kill Cami once- but failed when his body overloaded with energy." Astrid comments before moving her eyes over the next profile.

"Antonio Rosero- Blackout." Heather says with a soft sigh. "Leader of the Black Diamond Drug Cartel- solar energy manipulation. Can Bend light energy to form small black holes and project dark light from his hands."

Eret and Hiccup nodded upon hearing this, though Astrid looked on in shock. "He can form black holes? How he is not a Level 10 threat?" She asks as everyone looks to her.

"He's unstable. Barely able to control the black holes himself." Hiccup says as the final profile pops up. "You've gotta be shitting me." He says as he stares at the image.

On the screen was none other than Ryker Grimborn, Viggo's older brother.

"Makes sense I suppose." Eret commented before walking out of the room, followed by Heather.

Astrid and Hiccup lingered there for a moment, Hiccups emerald eyes locking onto the images that were on the screen . "He's got some kind of league of villains ready for us it seems." He says as she places a hand onto his shoulder.

"Are you ready for this?" She asks, looking him in the eyes now. He gave a curt nod as a response but was taken aback as she planted her hands onto his face

"I mean it...last time you...I almost lost you."

"But this time I'll be ready." He replies as he holds onto one of her hands and takes it into his own. "I promise you- this time Viggo is going down."

As they spoke, Ruff and Tuff made their entrance into the room. "We've got something. After Ryker was spring he left a trail- tracked him to a factor on the Upper West Side about three hours ago." Tuff said as Ruffnut moved towards the computer and began to type - the coordinates to the location appearing soon after.

"Alright. We've got em. Immortals, lets roll out!" Hiccup calls, pausing as everyone in the room simply stared at him

"What?" He asked after a moment- Astrid being the first to speak.

"So what, are we the Autbots now?"

He brought a palm to his face in subtle frustration, giving a sigh as they began to walk out of the room. "Just working on the catchphrase."

Factory

The Immortals had assembled with what they had- considering it was 11:55 in the morning, they were missing their youngest members- Fanghook and Changewing. Hiccup looked over who was present- Nightmare, Stormfly, Nightlight, Windshear, Typhoon and the Twins, who'd been more than willing to join them and replace the missing two.

Hiccup had outfitted them with some spare suits he kept in the Manor, though being the rowdy pair that they are, they changed the suits up a bit. Tuff had spray painted a lime green skull over the chest of his black form fitting Kevlar suit and added a black hood with a neon green hockey mask- a skull having been painted over that too.

Ruffnut had taken one of Heather's spare stealth suits- a black and white one (built similarly to the flight suits from X-Men: Apocalypse). She'd colored over the white linings with yellow and wore a black helmet, her hair having been tucked underneath it. The helmet was a simple design- with two eye slits. She too had painted a skull design upon it, this one in yellow.

"Alright so, what exactly are you guys supposed to be?" Snotlout asks while looking over the blade of his katana.

"The Terror Twins!" The two shouted happily, bumping heads with each other before continuing. "Barf-" Ruffnut said with a thumb pointed towards herself.

"And Belch!" Tuff said with a smirk beneath his mask as he juggled a few explosive balls Hiccup had given him.

"Barf and Belch. Creative." Hiccup said with a nod as he rolled his left shoulder gently, getting a look from Eret.

"You good to go mate?" The Brit asked with an air of concern. It had been weeks since Hiccup and Viggo's fight and Hiccup still didn't seem to be in top condition.

"I'm fine- let's just head in. And stop worrying so much guys- my healing factor is back on top!" He says with a hearty smile- one that leads his friends to believe him for the time being.

The door to the factory was pushed open almost as soon as he finished speaking, each hero wandering inside with their eyes and ears peeled- ready for the worst.

The factory was dark- the only lighting coming from Eret's body at this point. Hiccup's eyes darted across the floor as his mask entered its scanning mode- searching for all potential enemies and structural weaknesses.

"I got nothing so far." Hiccup called to the rest of the group, who had slowly trudged their way into the center of the building. Shutting down his masks vision, Hiccup took a brief turn to look at his teammates.

"It's emp-" he had begun, his words being cut off by the sounds of a wire snapping into place. As he'd look around they'd all see Astrid being dragged up towards the ceiling by her legs.

Everyone snapped to attention, guns being drawn and other weapons being readied at the immediate sounds of Astrid shrieking.

"What the hell?!!" She shouted as the lights in the factory came on, several figures looking over them from the overpass ahead

"The Immortals...we've been waiting." Said the grimly voiced Gaslight as he, Hotstreak, Blackout and Ryker Looked down upon them. The criminals wore super suits of their own- Gaslight wearing a black overcoat over dark green padded armor and camouflage pants, along with his helmet.

Blackout wore a black short sleeved Kevlar suit with white lines running down his sides, to his white boots. He also wore white gloves and had a white sun emblem on his chest, along with a white headpiece that shaped the outline of his face.

Hotstreak wore a suit that was quite the opposite to Typhoon's sleeveless- it was a burgundy long sleeved suit with black boots and gloves, a black lightning bolt belt and a pair of black goggles with red lenses, his hair slicked back. On the center of his chest was a black lightning bolt that led up to his right shoulder.

Ryker however was far more casual- wearing a black leather jacket over a coyote tan IOTV and a pair of black camo bottoms and boots.

"The breakouts...what exactly does Viggo have you losers up to?" Nightmare asks while taking aim at Gaslight with his semi-automatic.

"Don't worry about that! Just know it's sure to be a SHOCKING affair!!" Shouted the crazed voice of Hotstreak as he gave a wave and a wink to Typhoon.

"This guy sounds crazier than us." Barf whispered to Belch- who was almost immediately lifted off his feet by Hotstreak. The speedster had rushed down in a blur that almost went unregistered by even Typhoon.

"You callin' me crazy?!?" He'd asked in a shout, Belch nodding his head and shrugging his shoulders .

"Well I certainly ain't calling you for dinner, dude." He responded, dropping two of the explosive pellets he'd been carrying at the speedsters feet. The explosion was instant- sending both men flying back and struggling to recover.

It was a low level blast- but it was still the first explosion Tuff had ever taken- he'd taken bullets before (both while wearing a vest and without one), but this was an all new type of pain. He let out a loud groan as he struggled to his feet, not even caring what Hotstreak would be doing behind him.

"Aw come on!! My mask is all ruined.." he says while ripping the shattered material off of his face and chucking it to the floor. He looked over at his teammates and was surprised to see that they all had broken off to fight the criminals. Tuff figures they'd did this after the explosion. The ringing in his ears seemed to carry on with every slow movement he made.

"Yeah.,.i definitely need more training...and better armor..,a better mask, maybe a helmet…" he muttered to himself, before being flung forward and into the wall behind him by a fast moving object. He'd turned then, looking up from the floor as An angered Hotstreak stood over him with a hand vibrating at supersonic speeds.

"That...hurt." The man said, a scowl upon his face. Soon that scowl shifted into a psychotic grin, as he moved to plunge his hand into Tuffnut's chest. Time itself seemed to struggle to catch up with their movements, as Typhoon barreled into Hotstreak and sent him rolling to the floor , his hand having been mere centimeters from Tuffnut's chest. As the two speedsters tumbled to the floor, Hotstreak's head collided with the stone.

Typhoon rushed to her feet soon after the tumble and stared down at the crazed speedster as he slowly got back up.

"Ow…" he muttered while bringing a palm to rub his head, then turned to look at her. "You!!" He shouted, his body now sparking with electricity. "I got beef with you…" he says with a wild grin forming on his face.

"The feeling is not mutual." Was Typhoon's reply- she simply couldn't understand why the man wanted to kill her, she'd just met the guy once in her entire life.

He smirked at her then, lunging towards her at a speed she almost didn't register. Almost. She ducked and rolled onto her back before thrusting her legs upwards to send a sharp kick to his mid-riff, sending him flying back onto the floor as she kept back to her feet.

She returned the gesture with a smirk of her own. "Let's do this." She'd say, taking off at 15,000 steps per second- the crazed speedster rushing to match her speed and chase her down. The two weaved their way throughout the battlefield that the factory had just been converted into. Energy blasts of green and black ripples past their heads at a pace that was just above their own while they moved, ducking under them to keep on the chase.

Typhoon lept over the head of Stormfly as she sent a stream of lightning towards Gaslight, who'd been busy throwing a punch at Night Fury. As she moved past her friend, she turned on her heel to circle back and push Gaslight towards the bolt of Lightning, a thick fog of green gas surrounding him.

"Can't even smell it let alone breathe it at this speed." She commented to herself as she soon found herself being tackled to the ground by the opposing speed freak. Her head collided with the ground and time reverted back to a normal pace from her perception as she snapped towards the man, who prepared to deal another blow.

Striking his fist out at her, she had less than a millisecond to avoid the attack- thankfully she did and watched as the ground cracked beneath his fist.

"It's amazing isn't it? They're like a slideshow and we're like a YouTube video on fast forward." He'd say while staring over at her.

"We are alike in very few ways, speed at THATS all. Our morals, our sense of judgement couldn't be more different." Would be her response as she rushed towards the man, both lifting their fists to punch another.

The two gloves fists collided mid strike, creating a shockwave that would ripple throughout the building and send all others flying back along with them. Now, both sides were laying flat on their backs. And both sides quickly jumped back to their feet.

"Where's Viggo and Johann at?!" Night Fury called as a shot rang out loud, a bullet ripping its way towards Gaslight's left arm, courtesy of Nightmare. Hotstreak moved in, pushing the bullet aside and giving a nod to his ally, who returned the gesture.

"Don't worry about their whereabouts." Gaslight responded as Blackout charged up a bit of energy in his palms before sending it flying towards Nightlight and Stormfly. The burst of energy moved fast, so fast that Typhoon had to struggle to keep pace and move the two heroes aside, just barely missing the energy as it hit the floor and left a small crater.

"This is getting ridiculous." The female speedster would comment as her friends got ahold of themselves. They'd be toast if she hadn't been there, but luckily she'd made sure to be there...last time she wasn't there she nearly lost one of her closest friends,

Her eyes flickered over to Night Fury, whose left hand moved over his right shoulder in the briefest of motions. He moved back into a defensive position with his bo staff, sizing up his opponents before lunging at the nearest one. The nearest one being Gaslight, who'd begun to produce a thing cloud of black gas from his body as the man attacked. It seemed the second that Night Fury's staff connected with the side of his neck, the gas took affect.

Night Fury dropped to his knees after the strike, coughing wilder than a sick person. The gas he'd just been exposed to was bromine chloride. It had a toxicity in ppm of 290, and the healing vigilante could already feel its effects on his lungs. But why the hell was it black? He supposed that was just an effect of his powers, a distinguishing trait between the various gases he expelled. The thing that Gaslight liked most about his powers, was that he was immune to all forms of noxious gas and toxic gases.

As her friend hit the floor, typhoon took to running once again, circling around the cloud that had formed in order to push it up and dispel it. This was a distraction, one that Hotstreak used to his advantage. He planned it out for a split second, already having about 129 different ideas for the woman. And finally he found one- striking out just as she'd ran around for the 68th time, and slamming a foot into her ankle at 23,000 mph.

This caused the bones to snap like a twig , and the female speedster stumbled across the floor with a cry of pain. "Typhoon!!" Stormfly had cried before launching a bolt of lightning at Hotstreak, that moved just past his current speed. The lightning sent him flying across the room, but had the opposite of the desired effect. He was supercharged now, and let out a wild cackle as he began to exert the electricity from his body in a bubble.

"Dammit!!" Nightmare shouted before unloading his semi-automatic onto the speed freak, leaving himself open for a punch to the jaw from Blackout. The hit was weak compared to Nightmare's own strength, and the man smirked beneath his helmet before delivering a counter attack in the form of an upper cut. This attack sent the evil doer skidding across the floor, but he rebounded quickly as shot off a beam of energy at Nightmare. The man had little time to counter of evade, and sit off a weaker beam from his helmet to fight the oncoming beam.

The beam struggle that ensued was a spectacle to behold, though no one took the time to actually stand by and watch. Stormfly and Nightlight attacked Gaslight immediately, with a beam mixture of lighting and energy, striking his chest and sending him fleeing across the room.

Hotstreak moved once again in his supercharged state, making his way around all of the fighting and eventually reaching Stormfly. He smirked before sending a punch to her face to throw her off guard before latching onto her shoulders.

"You're like an unlimited power supply,let's see what ya got!!" He shouted while drawing the electrical energy from her body. It didn't take very long for him to feel a limit being reached, at which point he'd stopped. But Stormfly persisted, as he moved away she dragged him back and dug her hands into his wrist while smiling.

"You want my power? You're gonna get all of it!!" She'd retort while pouring her energy into the man's body, ignoring every scream of anguish he released as she did so. The two of them created a bright light and a bubble of electric energy that no one else could touch. Not even Eret with his radioactive form could pierce this, as all were left to watch.

Night Fury recovered from his poisoning and watched them, his eyes widening as his helmet scanned both of their bodies "STORMFLY STOP!!" He screamed, but recoiled slightly as she shook her head.

"NOT UNTIL HE'S LEARNED A LESSON ABOUT BEING GREEDY!!" She replied, Hotstreak trying his best to escape her grasp, even going as far as to headbutt her at 1,200 mph. This seemed to do the trick, as the weather witch fell to the floor unconscious.

Everyone have an audible sigh, as they knew what could've happened if that persisted. But their worries weren't over, and soon Hotstreak began to fidget wildly, before his body lit up with the electricity he'd absorbed.

"OH MY GOOOOOOOD!!" He exclaimed as it all poured out of him. Night Fury looked over to the downed Typhoon, who'd crawled her way towards the back wall and began to rush over while ushering EVERYONE in the building to follow.

"EVERYBODY GET O-" he'd begun to say, his words being cut off by the explosion that followed.

The building was torn apart from the inside, rubble and dust shaking down as the foundations destabilized and broke apart from the mass energy release. His vision was blurred at first, as he came to. He looked around frantically to find any sign of his friends, throwing prices of rubble and debris aside. Finally, he looked to his minicomputer and brought up all of their vital signatures.

Stormfly, Typhoon, And Nightmare were just barely clinging to life, while Windshear, And the Terror Twins seemed to be fine. Nightlight's showed that his body was being compressed, and slowly losing oxygen. So that's who he went for first, tracking his suit's signal to a pile of debris nearby and kicking off the top bits of the stuff.

"ERET!! IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, BLAST UPWARDS!!" He'd have the command, silence ringing throughout the air for a moment. But then it came, the bright green he'd been used to seeing ripped its way through the debris and Eret struggled to pull himself from the newly made hole, Hiccup moving to help him to his feet.

"What the hell?" Nightlight questioner, with Night Fury biting his tongue gently,

"We've gotta reach the others, Stormfly, Typhoon and Nightmare first. They're in the worst condition. " he explained as Eret nodded before powering up with what little strength he had.

He dispelled a wave of energy out in front of them, strong enough to shrug off some of the debris and still too weak to damage anyone into a critical state. As he did this, Night Fury used his minicomputer to find the rest of their team. The first he'd found was Stormfly, who'd been lying under several pounds of debris with an unconscious Hotstreak on top of her. He pushed the villain aside and checked his pulse, giving a soft sigh as he found the man to be breathing- raggedly though.

He picked her up and motioned with a nod towards the area surrounding them, Nightlight taking the notion and blasting away some more rubble to uncover Nightmare. Dragging the man out by his shoulders, he pulled his damaged helmet from his head and began to examine him before looking to Night Fury.

"He's good, his helmet and armor took most of the damage." He'd say, Night Fury feeling the ghost of a smile arising.

"Typhoon is further back, you watch these two and I'll get the rest." Night Fury said as he gently placed the battered Stormfly down next to Nightmare. Her mask had been torn apart and she had a large gash running down her left thigh, her right leg was injured from the debris and her left shoulder had popped out of place. Along with that was a damaged nose from Hotstreak, that would need to be popped back into place later.

As Night Fury limped onwards, he felt the underlying pain from his last battle along with the toxic cloud trying to drag him down. This didn't bode well for him at all- as he knew he'd need to rest up a bit to get his healing factor back to one hundred percent. He trudged along now, the sun shining his path towards his friends. He'd uncovered the unconscious body of Gaslight as he moved along and noted the man's leg had been crushed by debris- it was most likely broken and would take months to heal. He looked over at another bit of debris and changed the features of his helmet to scan over the environment. Several bodies, all still alive. He moved to the nearest one and found Blackout with a broke nose, debris crushing his left arm from the clavicle down and a twisted right ankle. He'd be out of commission for a while too.

Beside him was Ryker, who'd stayed out of the fight for the most past. And yet he got the worst of them. His left arm was crushed from the forearm down and both of his legs were piled with debris. Shattered clavicle, four broken ribs and a hairline fracture upon the back of his skull. He was clinging onto the life.

Night Fury, against his better judgement, dragged the man from under the debris slowly and began basic first aid. After helping the criminal, he looked over at the last few bodies and rushed over.

There was an indenture in the ground, most likely created by unused chemicals going off nearby during the blast. This left the twins and Windshear trapped inside with several tons of debris on top of the hole. He wasted little time and punching and kicking away with all of his strength, shattering some of the debris. Once it had been weakened, he began to push until it slid aside, soon leaving one large stone slab that he had to lift and push over to find his friends.

Barf was the only one conscious and was looking over both Windshear and Belch the whole time. Night Fury dropped down and lifted Windshear over his shoulder before looking to her.

"Can you get Belch?" He asked. She was hesitant at first but gave a curt nod in response before lifting her brother and making the short climb out of the hole. It was a miracle in all honesty. Everyone they'd found had survived the blast.

As Night Fury laid Windshear down and elevated her head with a rock, he scanned over the debris one last time before taking off towards the very edge of it all. Lying there was a battered Typhoon, who had a gash across her forehead, along with several on her unsleaved arms. He lifted her up gently, carrying her over to Nightlight and Barf before setting her down.

"Jets on its way." Nightlight confirmed as the vehicle made its voyage back from where it had been parked earlier on. As far as he was concerned, this night was a fail.

Dragon Ridge Theater

Mala has to admit, Throk was the most kind guy she'd run into in a long time. The two drove to the movie theater together, in a car she didn't even ask about and he'd held the door open for her. Paid for her ticket, and food and carried all of it to their seats.

This had been one of the best dates of her life, and she honestly wished she hadn't had an underlying motive behind it. But as she entered the White House she called home and waved him off for the night, her hand ran over the wallet in her back pocket. Pulling out, she looked over the dark haired face of Throk with interest, while moving inside.

The dark figure she'd become so accustomed to seeing was waiting in the living room, sipping from a glass in a recliner.

"Got it?" The voice asked, Mala nodding softly.

"Yes dad...I got it."

Immortal Manor- Med Bay

Hiccup stood over the same bed he'd been laying in not too long ago, but instead it was the blonde haired beauty he'd devoted his life to protecting. And as he looked down at her still form, her blonde bangs draping over closed eyes, he resided he'd almost failed.

He almost failed all of them, wanting to go in for the kill on the enemies instead of planning it out further. He chastised himself for his ignorance, slamming a fist into the computer nearby and shattering its keyboard with ease.

"Don't blame yourself." A voice called from the doorway, Hiccup turning to watch as Gustav walked into the room wearing a black zip up hoodie over a burgundy shirt and a pair of ripped blue jeans.

"It's hard not to." Hiccup replied before taking a seat next to Astrid's bed, his teenage apprentice looking on at the fiery woman.

"You did what you thought was best. It was a bit brash but...but it should've worked." Gustav said, having been absent and gotten a basic explanation of the mission from Ruffnut and Eret upon his return from school. That was three hours ago, now it was around four in the afternoon. Not even sunset and he'd already managed to get half of his team nearly killed.

"It was idiotic, and a rushed plan. Moreso a lack thereof." Hiccup said as he looked to Gustav, whose face twisted into one of disgust

"You've gotta be kidding me. You're the Night Fury for fucks sake- stop putting the weight of the world on your shoulders." He said, Hiccup snapping to attention now

"You're not God, or whatever the fuck you believe in Hiccup. You're you, a person. And people make mistakes. You can't control every little variable of every situation- specially cant control it when a power crazed psycho gets greedy and Astrid gets angry."

"If I can't control it then what type of leader am I?" Hiccup asks, his anger arising slowly with every word that left Gustav's mouth.

"A good one. You knew what you were doing, it was Hotstreak and Astrid who messed it up."

"Don't say that...Astrid didn't-"

"Be honest man!!" Gustav shouted, ripping his hands from his pockets to ball them into fists. "You told her to stop and she didn't listen!! You love her, I get that. I do too- she's like a big sister to me but she should've stopped!!" He exclaimed, watching as Hiccup lept to his feet and pointed an accusing finger at him.

"It doesn't excuse the fact that several people almost died- or the fact that I'm the one who dragged them out there! God, I even let the Twins come and they have NO hero experience nor nearly as much training as any of us!! I fucked up here!"

Gustav paused, looking into Hiccup's eyes before shaking his head. "You're an idiot if you believe that."

Hiccup's demeanor shifted slightly, though he retained the scowl he'd taken as this argument began. "I'm an idiot?!"

Gustav stood strong in his wording, nodding his head. "Yes."

"..." Hiccup has paused for a moment to breath, then came to some form of realization. "You're right...I am an idiot. I let u trained soldiers go out into the battlefield and almost got them blown up.,I let a psychotic speed freak piss off the woman I love until she turned him into a living bomb..,and above all else, I let a teenager join me against my better judgement."

Gustav recoiled at that last saying, taking a moment to make sure he'd heard him right. "W-what?!"

"Leave your key card on the table...you're fired." Hiccup said, confirming the boys suspicion . This made him reel back, stumbling before regaining his stance and staring up at the Night Fury, his hero. But the dark scowl that adorned his face was cold, unfamiliar even. It left a sick feeling in Gustav's stomach, one he just couldn't shake off.

"I...I.." he began, feeling the tears welling up in his eyes. But he refused to cry here, refused to let himself be ashamed any further. Instead he turned on his heel and stormed out of the room, slamming his ID card down onto the table near the exit with enough force to crack the wood.

The sound of the manor's front door slamming shut seems to be what brought Hoccup back to reality, and he slammed his hands into his hair, giving the auburn strands a great tug. "What is WRONG with me?!?" He asked with a shout before rushing out the Med bay and rushing towards the front door. He wrenched it open and looked outside for Gustav, shouting to the boys form.

"Wait!!"

He'd called out, but the broken spirited young man's look at him through the visor of his motorcycle helmet, his black bike revved up and ready to take him away

"Fuck you!!" He'd shouted back, though the voice sounded different. It sounded...broken. It struck Hiccup immediately , and the thought stayed with him even as his former apprentice peeled off from the estate. Gustav was crying.

———————-

So...another day another update. Y'all stay tuned for more


	17. Arc 2: The Great Fall

Detroit- Six years ago

It had been roughly two weeks since Hiccup and Heather lost Scott, two weeks since his perspective as a hero changed forever. His father noted the change, each and every time they went out. But tonight it was different- tonight he was onto something.

He'd let Heather know about it immediately, and made the trek to Detroit in record time, not telling his father at all about what he'd found or what he had planned. His father would just have to be left in the dark on this one.

Hiccup perched himself upon a rooftop, peering into a dimly lit bar from across the street. He heard her footsteps approaching, but said nothing for the time being. Instead, he simply stared through the lenses of his binoculars and watched as several people conversed amongst themselves in the bar.

Heather nudged his shoulder gently, her usual upbeat tone having been drained for the past couple of weeks. He turned to her then, drawing the binoculars down and placing them into a pouch on his belt.

"Why are we here exactly? You weren't very detailed when you said 'Hey, meet new across from this bar, I found something!" She exclaims, with Hiccup merely nodding in response.

"I found him. The man who runs that little group...the one that took Scott from us." He says, Heather's eyes instantly narrowing as she slid her mask over them. "Let's get her done." Was her response.

The two stalkedthe bar for a bit longer, before eventually deciding to move in. The stealthy approach would be their usual choice, but this was more so an act of vengeance than it was an act of justice. Had it been an act of justice, the floorboards in the center of the bar wouldn't have burst open , having every eye in the place turn towards it. The obvious gang members and felons drew their weapons, with regular bar patrons and civilians looking on in shock.

Finally, the voice of the Night Fury cut into the air. "We're looking for Roman Riviera...all of those tied to him stay where you are. Regular civilians, leave now." He said before grappling through the now open floor and swinging into a landing in front of the bar, a few of the stools having been blown onto the floor and pushed over. There were wood splinters littering the area, with the civilians who'd say at the bar scrambling to their feet in fear.

His green lensed eyes panned over everyone inside before locking onto one man, who had a similar build to him save for his shorter height. He had jet black hair which had been slicked back and a scruffy beard. He looked like the type of low life you'd expect to see here. He had a brief moment of clarity, realizing he could've hurt a few civilians had he not been more careful. But it was a controlled blast , made for fear and entry. The wooden flooring itself took the most damage, the most that would happen to anyone above would be a simple fall to the floor.

He wasted little time in walking towards Roman, pausing briefly as several men around him pointed their weapons at him. He stared Roman down, then took a further step so that he was a mere six inches away from him.

"Your little gun running operation is over. That explosion a couple weeks ago cost far more than you could ever know." He stated, Roman's eyebrows knitting together in frustration.

"So you're responsible for that? A lot of my products were lost in there, and a lot of my men arrested. I'll see to it that you are properly paid back." He said with a snap of his fingers. He turned away from Night Fury as his men began to close in, and essentially drowned out the various grunts of pain and exertion that followed in favor of pouring himself a glass of bourbon.

"You're an idiot." Came another voice, drawing out a sigh and leading him to turn his attention towards Windshear as she approached with three bladed talons drawn.

"And you're annoying." Was Roman's response as he moved to draw out a gun, but found his hand being stuck to the table by a sudden white blur. He looked down with a shout of pain as his hand ran red, one of the bladed talons she'd shown up with having been planted though his hand and into the table.

"Jesus Christ!!" The man shrieked from the pain as Windshear made her way over to him. She wasted little time in whisking the glass of bourbon from the table and pouring it onto the man's hand. His shriek of pain only got higher at the action.

"Stings doesn't it?" She asks with a condescending tone as Night Fury walks over and punches the back of the man's head hard enough to send his face into the table. Lifting his head up to see the both of them, Night Fury drew out one of his shuriken and drug it slowly across the side of the man's face.

"You've done a lot of wrong. Hurt a lot of people with the things you've been selling. But all that ends tonight." He says with a growl in his tone as Windshear simply nods . Roman pants slightly as he attempts to stay awake from the pain shooting through his body.

"I'm begging you, please don't kill me.." he said softly, Night Fury chuckling before releasing his head and letting it drop down a bit.

"We're not gonna kill you…" he said plainly, Windshear reaching for her blade and pulling it free. "But we are going to make you wish you were dead."

Upon hearing that, Roman's eyes went wide.

It was about 30 minutes before the police arrived, finding a bar full of unconscious criminals and one of the tables stained with blood. The criminals had been carted away in police cars, most of their injuries being little to nothing.

But Roman himself was beaten within an inch of his life- gashes from strange blades evident on his thighs and abdomen, bruises that tore the skin on his face and caused heavy bleeding, and a horrific burn mark- a brand of the word "Fury" left embedded on the side of his neck.

Hiccup stood in the bathroom of Heather's apartment, washing away the blood from his gloves while staring into the mirror at his own reflection. Flashes of every hit they'd launch the man's way began to play over and over again. Up until the moment he branded the man with no remorse. Hiccup could feel his stomach turning slightly- Roman was so defenseless to them.

That sick feeling went away just as quickly as it had come, and he smirked when he realized one important thing- he deserved it. They didn't kill him, even if they should've they wouldn't . That's a line they'd never cross, no matter what. But Hiccup has to admit, beating that monster within an inch of his life and making him bleed for all he's done truly felt like justice.

Immortals Mansion

"You know you fucked up right?" Came a voice, drawing Hiccup from his thoughts. He turned towards the male voice, his eyes meeting with Snotlout's. Snot was sporting a cast over his left arm and a bandage over his forehead, his black hair cascading down over it.

"Yeah I know." Was his response, carrying a tone that wished to drop the subject. The two were in the computer room, with security camera footage of Gustav's apartment playing on the main screen.

"You also know stalking the kid isn't going to help right?" Was Snotlout's next comment, drawing a sigh from Hiccup as Toothless walked into the room and sat down beside his chair. He brought a hand over to pet the German Shepherd before replying.

"I know...I'm just making sure he's alright. Giving him space, time even."

"Time? Hiccup, it's been three weeks." Snotlout replied as he finally made his way over to stand next to his seated cousin. "Just call him, go see him. Something."

"I will...I will when the time's right." Was the Auburn haired man's response. This response concluded their discussion, as Snotlout changed the topic finally.

"Anything on Viggo? His side took a pretty heavy blow too and he's been silent since then." He'd noted

"You're right...I've been looking into it, but I haven't found anything from any of them. Even at the site of the explosion, none of them were recovered but they were all alive."

"That's weird." Said snot as he wiggles his fingers from beneath his cast. "Everyone's getting ready for them. Training as best they can, but we took a huge blow this time Hic." He said

Hiccup nodded. Astrid had been slowly getting back into fighting shape, as had Tuffnut and Cami. Cami's leg healed about a day after it was broken, but she's still struggling to return to her full speed. Eret was fine, his injuries having healed rather quickly. Heather too was recovering, a few sprains but nothing too extreme. All of them were in a rougher condition than usual. And yet all of them were still willing to fight.

Hiccup wouldn't allow it though- he himself had just made a full recovery from the injuries he sustained recently. And no way in hell was he sending them out to fight like this, it was a handicap.

He stood up and looked to Snot, then to Toothless. "I'm calling a meeting." He said.

Meeting Room

"Alright. It's come to my attention that I ...fucked up." Hiccup starts, looking around at everyone present.

Astrid, Heather, Camicazi, Snotlout, Throk, Ruffnut,Eret Tuffnut and Toothless. "I took two untrained soldiers into the field...I went in without a proper plan, and I pushed away my apprentice. You guys aren't fully recovered, least not all of you. I want to make sure we're at one hundred percent the next time we move."

"What are you getting at?" Eret asked as he sat up in his seat.

"I'm benching some of you, until recovery is complete." He says, rather bluntly. There was an audible gasp in the room, Hiccup turning towards one of the paintings on the wall behind him.

"Hiccup don't do this. We're more than capable of-" Heather had began, Hiccup turning and shooting her a look.

"I'm not risking your lives like that. Once you're recovered and able to move at a normal rate, then you can come back out- we all can roll out as Immortals. But until that day comes, you guys are to stay here and heal."

"Stay here and heal? What are we, children?" Tuffnut asked as he stood up, stumbling into Ruffnut's arms.

"You certainly act like one Tobias James." His sister said with a teasing tone, watching as he pushed her away and fell back into his chair.

"You're not children. But if you believe that you can go out in this state, and fight these criminals- you're wrong." Hiccup retorted , his eyes licking onto Tuffnut's stumbling form. "Benched. Until further notice."

No one seemed to want to argue it anymore, he seemingly had his mind set.

Downtown Dragon's Edge- Hours later

Six men had met in an alley, off the corner of Thornton Boulevard and Adger Avenue. The tallest of the men, an African American man sporting a goatee and blonde dyed hair had just handed over a briefcase to a shorter Irish man. He was backed by two other men, a taller Scottish man and a Caucasian man who was the same height.

The African American was backed by two Caucasian men with shaved heads. "You sure about this?" He asked the Irish man who merely nodded.

"It's getting worse out here. These suits are running our business into the ground." He replied before resting the case on the ground and popping it open, smiling at what he'd found inside. It was an experimental rocket launcher- built similar to a Air-Tronic GS-777, with two rockets in tow.

"This is some heavy heat. We'll ship several more and some ammo to your workshop later on." The taller man confirms as the Irish smirks

"Perfect. Pleasure doing business. Jimmy." He said, turning towards the Scotsman who held a silver briefcase. "Pay the nice man."

The man made a move, but soon found himself dropping to the ground in pain as he clutched his hand. He found a red , 8 pointed shuriken lying there.

"You people sicken me." Came an obviously modified voice, all of the men turning their heads towards the rooftop and looking on as a short figure loomed overhead. This was Fanghook, who wore his usual suit with a few changes- his dragon head mask having been replaced with an open head cowl (think of a black version of Kid Flash), with red eyes shining in the dark.

"It's that Fanghook kid!!" Shouted the arms dealer as the Irish buyer scrambled for his handgun.

"Night Fury won't be far behind." He called as everyone, save for the man with the injured hand, readied their pistols and aimed towards the boy on the roof.

Fanghook gave an audible sigh upon hearing the mention of his former mentor, before throwing three pellets down that burst and flooded the alley with a thick fog. They all opened fire, not seeing that his form had receded from the roof and into the alley. As he landed, he swept the nearest man's leg from beneath him and slammed one of his escrima sticks into his throat before sending a powerful shock throughout his body.

This had been the Irish man's other accomplice, who first met the fury of a boy enraged. Fanghook lept out as the smoke slowly cleared and grabbed the African American by his throat before moving beneath his left arm and going into a front flip, slamming the man into the ground as he landed before sending five sharp punches to his face- that did the trick.

He was out for the fight , leaving three men standing. The Irish man soon met a fist to the face that sent him onto his back before Fanghook turned his attention to the last two henchmen that remained.

He paused for a moment before spinning on his left heel and thrusting out his right foot to deliver a sharp kick to the first bald man's head, sending him to the floor. Immediately after this, he turned and thrust his elbow into the other man's stomach just as he opened fire on the boy from point blank range- the bullet easily being avoided by the boy as he continued his assault, bringing up a fist for a powerful uppercut that sent the man to the floor.

With them down, this left only the Irish man standing. Fanghook turned as he neared a strange -click- and watched as the man cackled while firing the rocket launcher towards him.

Gustav's eyes widened momentarily before he cartwheeled out of the way, the rocket flying into the back of the alley and hitting the arms dealers car. This lit the alley up, a blaze that could be seen for about a mile. Gustav bit his tongue, silently cursing himself for the spectacle before leaping at the Irish man and landing onto him with a downwards elbow towards his clavicle. This broke the bone upon impact and sent the man into shock.

With all of them down, Gustav panted softly as he looked around at the unconscious bodies.

"...fuck Night Fury." He muttered before walking out of the alley. He hadn't realized he'd had an audience, a security camera on the ship nearby having recorded the whole event.

And on top of that same building, a black suited figure watched in interest before tapping onto the side of her ear.

"This kids got issues...and potential." She said.

The next morning

The immortals sat in the kitchen at watched as the news replayed alleyway footage of a fight from the previous night, the reporter having noted that the hero "Fanghook" had been the one to take down the dealers.

Hiccup's face hardened slightly as he saw the explosion, and he shook his head as Astrid laid a hand upon his shoulder. Everyone turned to look at him then- hearing the words he uttered whilst walking away.

The first word had been censored by the news station, but it rang clear what he'd said.

"...F* Night Fury."

"Someone's angry." Ruffnut said in a sing song voice as she picked at her bowl of Cap'n Crunch, Tuff slapping her arm gently.

"Hey, stop reminding Hiccup of his massive mistake in firing Gustav." He said before Astrid slapped the back of his head in annoyance

"Don't listen to them Hiccup." She said, watching as the man gave a sigh.

"They're not wrong… I really fucked up." He admitted to them, his eyes moving back to the news report before flipping the channel to a cartoon. Hiccup turned and dumped his half empty bowl of cereal into the waste disposal then leaving the bowl in the sink.

He left the kitchen, leaving everyone to look on in bewilderment. It wasn't very long before they heard the front door close and his car peel off from the estate.

"I got a bad feeling about this." Eret uttered was he took a bite from a breakfast bar, Ruffnut shaking her head and replying

"You have a bad feeling about everything."

Larson's Apartment

Gustav pushes open the door to his apartment and took a look into the kitchen, finding it odd that it was empty. Usually when he returned from his gym time in the mornings, his mom would be cooking something in the kitchen. But today it was empty...why? He walked over to the kitchen while removing an earbud from his left ear and kneeling down.

{Large grease splatter on the floor. Trailing up to the front of the stove. Frying pan with discarded bacon pieces nearby.} this was all obvious things to see.

So he had to look deeper, find the hidden details in this. { A subtle footprint, made from a heavy step, most likely a sharp step back to avoid something..or a leap back in fear.}

He moved on from there and looked up to the counter of the kitchen, finding the knife rack being overturned and his mother's red handled cleaver gone.

{Definite signs of defense- she was either attacked or surprised as hell. Even still if it was a simple surprise she wouldn't have left that grease and stuff on the floor.}

It was all confirmed by now- coming together like a puzzle in his head. He kneeled down and looked over the floor again, finding an imprint from a boot on the floor. {Bootprint. Unfamiliar but left behind by a size six female boot. Most likely a lightweight material given the lightness of the imprint.}

Gustav sighed softly as he stood up, saying no words. Soon, his right fist was plunged into the wall beside the refrigerator. "Son of a bitch!!" He swore, his head soon whipping towards the front door as a knock was heard.

He wasted little time in picking up one of the smaller knives from the overturned rack and easing towards the door. It had no peephole, something had concerned him when they first moved in, but he soon got over it. But now he couldn't get over it.

As he opened the door slowly, he thrust his hand out and aimed at the right side of the person's abdomen, finding his forearm being caught mid thrust. He traced the hand back up and was met with a familiar pair of emerald eyes, moving back in slight disgust, yet a feeling a wash of relief at the same time.

Hiccup stared down at the boy, releasing his grip before speaking. "You greet all your visitors like that?"

He asks, a hint of a smirk arising. {Perfect thrust, had I been slower I'd be in trouble right now.}

"Just the ones that fire me." Was the teens response as he moved away from the man and walked back towards the kitchen, Hiccup taking that as a notion to come in. Hiccup noticed the lack of food and silence, an eerie feeling soon creeping up on him.

"Where's-"

"Gone. Obvious signs of a struggle. I was just about to check her room before making a final conclusion- but everything is silent."

"She's not there. I don't hear her breathing and the only heartbeats present are ours." {His heart is racing. He's worried out his mind right now.}

"Hey. Calm down." He'd say before moving towards the kitchen"We're gonna find her."

Gustav had originally planned to shrug off the man's attempts at helping. He wanted to do it alone- find his mother and ensure her safety no matter what. But looking up at Hiccup, he couldn't help but feel the same as he did when he'd met the man for the first time….lost. He regained his bearing, soon recalling the events of the past month. Gustav turned to the man with a look fo disdain planted upon his face.

"Why would I accept your help after what you did?"

Hiccup sighed softly as he said this, running a hand through his hair and stopping at the braid at the bottom of his head-courtesy of Astrid. "Because I was wrong." He finally said, letting free the words he'd been withholding for the past three weeks. Had he thought of what he would say to the boy before now? Several times. Had he finally decided upon what he'd say? Not once. But now , in the heat of the moment, he knew exactly what he needed to say.

"I shouldn't have said what I did. I shouldn't have done what I did, and I realized that only after I calmed down. Gustav, I truly am sorry for firing you, for casting you out like that. I'm sorry for everything I said, and I want you t-"

"Shut up." Gustav responded, tears welling up in his eyes. "I get it- you're sorry. But I'm not gonna work with you again if you'll just snap and fire me when you're upset. I'll come back when I feel it's right...but for now, let's find my mother." He concluded.

Hiccuo was a bit hesitant to reply, trying his best to think before he spoke this time. "Alright." He said, before turning and heading out the door. Gustav lingered for a moment, his eyes moving over the scene once more before following suit.

…..

"I feel like we completely ignored Thanksgiving. I mean Christmas is literally a few weeks away now." Tuffnut comments as he stands atop a ladder in the foyer of the Immortals' Manor, placing a string of lights around a 15 foot tall pine tree they'd picked up the previous day.

"Can you blame us? With all that's been going on lately I'm surprised we haven't missed every holiday." Astrid replies as she and Ruff go towards the lower parts of the tree to set up the lights.

"You're right. But hopefully we'll be done with all this Viggo business by the time Christmas Day rolls around."

Astrid gave a subtle scoff and looked at her. "Yeah...doubt it." The smell that whipped throughout the mansion was a bit strange, but comforting nonetheless. Astrid found herself in a comforting feeling as the scent of gingerbread mixed with cinnamon made its way through, and soon moved to pick up a cookie off of a plate that Eret had carried into the room.

"Knowing that slime ball he'll likely try something ON Christmas." Eret says as he sets the plate down and picks up a mug of hot chocolate, taking a slow sip of the beverage.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he did." Ruffnut responded as she did the same. All three of them turned their attention towards the front door as Hiccup rushed into the manor, Gustav following behind.

"Hey what's going on?" Astrid asked as the two vigilantes took off into the computer room. She gave a glance to Eret and Ruff, all three of them soon following the other two.

Hiccup took his seat at the computer and pulled up one of the cameras from Gustav's apartment, causing Gustav to scowl slightly

"You bugged my apartment?"

"It was so I could make sure you were alright!" Hiccup responded abruptly, turning his focus back to rewinding and displaying the events of the morning. The other three entered the room, having caught small bits of their interaction and watching the camera.

"There. There she is cooking breakfast." Gustav said as he watched his mother's form at work in the kitchen- this having been mere hours ago. He stirred slightly as the window near the kitchen slid open from the outside, a black clad female slipping inside and taking the woman by surprise, leading her to waste the food onto the floor.

"That explains that." Gustav says as the black clad figure stalked towards his mother. He visibly tensed up as his mother was grabbed and dragged out of the apartment after that- a handgun having been pointed at her during the altercation.

"Dear God…" Ruffnut muttered softly as Eret placed a hand onto Gustav's shoulder, trying to calm the boy down a bit.

Hiccup looked to Gustav then to the others "We're gonna find her."

"How?!" Gustav asked with tears welling up in his eyes . "We don't even know who that black suited chick is! How can we possibly find her now?"

"Because Gustav- if she took your mom, she's going to want something in exchange. Meaning she knows who you are." He explained plainly, leaving Gustav in confusion.

….

Mala stormed out of the living room with a look of frustration planted upon her face. "I'm tired of this!" She shouts with a sigh as she picks up her bookbag and heads down the block leading to her bus stop. She'd been dealing with issues with her father for the past few weeks now- issues that never seemed to get any better.

With one AirPod in her left ear, she allowed the sound of Green Day's 'Holiday' to carry her towards her destination, but soon found herself stopping as the sound of a car horn blaring up the street caught her attention. She looked up at the vehicle , a red 2015 Jeep Caravan. She smirked as she laid eyes on the driver, and gave a nod to Throk as he pulled up beside her.

"Need a lift?" He asked after lowering his passenger side window, Mala merely chuckling in response.

"Nah, I kinda like the smell and loudness of the school bus." She replied with a touch of sarcasm before pulling at the door handle and sliding into the empty passenger seat. "Ya know I never did ask about your car before.." She said, looking over to Throk "You didn't have this when you first got to our school. When did it come along?"

He smiled and began to drive off down the main road. "Oh, my dad got it for me." He explained, remembering the interaction between himself and Stoick just a couple of days before.

It was in Berk, Stoick's 10 bedroom house as he called it. Hiccup called it Haddock Manor, which made more sense. He and Stoick had sat down to talk for the eighth time since they first met. After Stoick got over the initial shock of meeting the clone, he welcomed him to the Haddock family with open arms and introduced him to a group of friends as his son.

The story was altered, so that he was introduced as a boarding school kid who'd decided to attend public school for the first time in years, at Stoick and Hiccup's pushing. When questioned on why he hadn't been referenced before, Stoick merely said that they didn't wish to put him into the public eye as much as they did Hiccup. Hiccup even went as far as fabricating baby pictures and childhood images of the two of them for anyone with questions.

And just like that Stoick had two sons- one age 24 and one age 18. The Jeep had been a sort of welcome gift from the older Haddock man, providing a forged Berk driver's license and an ID with the vehicle. Throk knee how to drive from information that had been previously placed into his mind during his creation.

Throk mulled over these events in his head as the two made the drive to their school. He was so deep in thought and still so focused on the road that he'd missed the question Mala had thrown his way. He cast her a glance before recoiling from his thoughts. "Huh?"

"I said when do I get to meet your dad and brother?" She asked, repeating the question. This question honestly made Throk gulp. Should he tell her? Would that be alright?

"I don't know." Easy answer, right?

"I sure hope it's soon. You're a really cool dude and I'd like to know more about you." She replied with a smile as she set her seat back a bit, Throk nodding and smiling as well.

"Thanks, I think you're cool too."

The rest of the drive was silent, and soon they were met with the gray brick exterior of their school, Throk pulling into the first parking spot he could find before shutting off the engine. As the two walked towards the school, Throk cast a look over at Lars and his football buddies. The jock who'd bullied Gustav before merely looked back at him with a glare, though he still didn't know that Throk was to blame for his injury a while back.

An injury that cost him most of the football season, and gave Throk the chance to shine on the field after he officially tried out for the quarterback position. Lars sure knew how to carry out a grudge. But he'd be ignored today, tomorrow and any other time he glared Throk's way.

"That guy really has it out for you huh?" Mala asks as she observes the two's shared looks while they continue their entrance into the school.

"Yeah, but I pay him no mind." He says while opening the door and holding it open for her. As the two made their way towards their lockers, Mala ran a hand through her hair and looked to Throk, clearing her throat before speaking. "So my mom has asked about you…"

Throk's eyes widened for a moment as she said this, causing him to turn towards her while approaching his locker. "Really? What's she asked?" He began to unlock the locker.

"She just wants to know when she'll get to meet you. I know it may be um...sudden, but I've told her a lot about you and-"

"How bout tonight?" Throk asks as he closed the locker and turns to her with a smile. "I'm free tonight."

"Awesome." She said with a smile of her own before checking the time on her phone. "We should get to class."

———

Hiccup honestly didn't know where to start when searching for Gustav's mother. He did know that going over the crime scene again would help to get a better grasp of the situation. So here he was, standing the kitchen of their apartment and looking over every mynute detail of it.

So far he'd found little more than before. He analyzers the window next, finding the markings left from the grappling hook. "This is weird.." he commented to himself as Gustav walked out of the bedroom with a sliver of paper in hand.

"I got something." He said, drawing Hiccup's attention towards him.

He took the sliver and unfolded it, finding it to be a note seemingly left by the kidnapper.

"537 Baruchel Avenue. Five o'clock tonight." He read the words aloud, casting a glance to Gustav. He'd had a worried look upon his face now.

"It could be a trap." He says plainly, trying not to cry again. Hiccup nodded subtly.

"We'll be ready then."

—-/

It was just another boring day at the news station. No one actually seemed to have anything planned for after work, per usual. Instead, Heather found herself making the short walk to the empty parking lot and fumbling with her keys after another daily interaction with Derek the weatherman. That man was...interesting.

Finally, she found the key for her sky blue 2016 Honda Accord. Pressing the unlock button a single time, she pulled the door open and tossed her bag into the passenger seat. But as she moved to get into the driver's seat, something made her stop. Her eyes cut around the parking lot, finding nothing but empty cars in the dark lot.

"Whoever is there. Come out now and I'll go easy on you." She mutters, reaching a hand into the right pocket of her black capri pants.

"I'm sure you will." A familiar voice said as a dark clad figure rounded the corner of the building and stared at her. Viggo smirked beneath his helmet at her, but Heather focused on the new alteration to his helmet.

The right eye hold was covered and smoothed down, a white X over the eye.

"I see Hiccup left a mark." Heather comments with a scowl before drawing out a razor talon and taking a defensive stance. The man seemed to just stalk her in silence before even moving.

It was the swiftest of motions, a blue canister flying towards her and going off a few seconds before it hit the ground. The area was sprayed with a blue fog, that left her coughing wildly as she backed away from it and tried to focus.

Her sight began to blur then, and she tried to stand strong as the figure approached through the fog. She was going to attack, launch the projectile at his clavicle before going in for a punch. But she stopped. The figure that stepped out of the fog wasn't Viggo Grimborn...it her brother, Dagur.

He looked happy. Clean cut even. Wearing a green button up shirt with black slacks .

"D-Dagur?" She asked in disbelief as she dropped her weapon. The sound of it flattering against the floor went unheard as she approached him. She didn't move away, didn't drag herself from this moment. Her brother was here, alive and well right before her eyes. And then, he wasn't.

The second Dagur reached her, his first shot out in a swift and unforgiving motion, striking her to the ground. The darkness she was greeted with upon hitting the ground was not nearly as cruel as what she'd just seen.

4:55 PM

The Night Fury's Nightcycle slowed to a stop as he reached the building. A quick glance could tell that it was still under construction- a new building for Ingerman Plastics. He silently cursed himself as he approached the entrance and began to make his way up, still a bit upset about how the last Ingerman building burned down during his confrontation with Snotlout. Tapping the communicator in his mask, he relayed a message to his team.

"I'm heading up now."

His team viewed the situation from the Manor's computer room, Astrid sitting at the main chair and watching via a drone camera. "We've got eyes on you." She confirmed

Night Fury turned towards the drone and gave a thumbs up before heading inside.

"Grimborn!! Where are you?" He called out into the darkness of the first floor. He wasn't expecting an intercom to activate and begin speaking to him from one of the corners.

"The roof. Meet me there and be quick."

He gave a roll of his eyes hearing that, and moved up the stairs as quickly as he could. It was a short run to the top, there were only five floors to the building to that certainly helped. As he reached the rooftop entrance, several plans played on in his head.

He looked out onto the roof after pushing the door open, and found Viggo standing at the edge with two small crane devices set up on the sides of the roof. One to the left, one to the right.

Viggo turned towards him with a subtle wave and paced on the edge of the roof.

"So glad you could make it. All the more glad that you left your team at home." He says as Night Fury steps a bit closer.

"Today's lesson, is about decision making." He continues, much to Night Fury's confusion.

"What?" He asks, growing tired of whatever game Viggo had initiated.

"You want the boy's mother , right?" Viggo asks before lifting up a small remote and causing the left crane to pull its wire up, revealing Gustav's mother tied to the cable with a terrified look upon her face and a piece of cloth wrapped around her mouth.

"Viggo…" Night Fury began.

"But this isn't going to be an easy one." Viggo says as he presses another button, the right crane shifting its line and pulling up another woman.

Night Fury recognizes the dark haired form instantly, and clenched his fists in frustration. "What the hell are you doing with her?!?" He asked , ready to lunge at the man.

"Calm down now Hiccup." Was his response. Another button was pressed and the Cranes shifted again. The interior shifted and the plates on the outside of them slid open to reveal two strange speaker like devices.

Almost as soon as they were revealed, Night Fury was belted with a strange energy and sent to the floor.

"What the hell?!?" He shouted as he tried to analyze the devices with his mask. "What type of energy is this?" He asked. He ran a hand over his chest and found that the plating had been stripped and the suit torn into by the blast.

"The best money can buy." Viggo says with a smirk upon his face.

"Next ones going to be bigger." He says as the devices charge up again and lock onto Night Fury.

He whipped to his knee and brought his cape out to block the next attack- this one sending him flying back with his cape burning on his back. He rolled over to snuff the flames and lifted the material, finding several large gashes and burn marks left over from the blast.

"Predictable." Viggo said before drawing a hand gun and firing it off at Night Fury's side. The bullet was fired with amazing precision- Night Fury notes this as he felt the bullet rip through the clasp that held his grapnel launcher to his belt. The sound of the launcher clattering to the ground followed after , and he had grown tired of this.

"What are you trying to do here?" He asked, moving towards The launcher on the ground. Viggo's gun came up again and fired a round off at the launcher just as he picked it up, the bullet landing in the barrel. This caused the launcher to jam as Night Fury moves to test it- and led him to throw it down in frustration.

"Do you know how hard it is to produce the perfect cable for this?" He asks with a scowl as Viggo shakes his head and returns to his trigger.

"You have a choice to make here , hero!" He said. "I know a lot about you Hiccup. You're a billionaires son, you attended Berk Central High School, almost joined the military and you love dogs. But never mind all that now." He says while tugging on Heather's cable, and getting a look of annoyance from the woman. Had her mouth not been covered too, Viggo would getting a berating of epic proportions.

"You think yourself a hero. Think you can handle all the responsibilities that come with that term. But I'm here to tell you now...you can't."

Night Fury moves to draw his bo staff, stopping with his hand borvering over the metal weapon as he glared at Viggo.

"What is this?"

"It's a game of sorts...you choose one of them to set free, and the other one takes a leap of faith...you don't have much time to decide. You see Hiccup, I've been studying you. Analyzing you. Your fight patterns, tour tactics, your skill set. I basically know you like the back of my hand." He explains

"Which is howI knew you'd use your cape as a shielding when there wasn't enough time to reach and expand your staff into its shield state. Also how I knew you wouldn't simply leave your grapnel launcher on the ground, that's why I disposed of it for you."

"So you could play this sick game?"

"No Hiccup...so you couldn't cheat my game." Viggo says with a chuckle. "Now you can't glide down to save the other or swing down and catch them. You have to make this decision here and now."

Night Fury smirked then. "I have other ways."

"Such as? Your friends? They don't even know what's happening." Viggo replies, taking Hiccup aback slightly.

"My signal jammers are stopping them from receiving your messages, and they're blocking your drones signal..now I suppose your little speedster friend could woosh in and help you but, I'm afraid Hotstreak has already caused a bit of havoc for her to follow."

Night Fury let out a breath that he'd withheld as the man spoke. He couldn't find any other options here. Not yet atleast. "Look. Just let both of them go...and you can take me instead."

Viggo laughed at this. His laughter was like a knife cutting into the moment "I don't want you!! I just want to make you learn!" He exclaims before pressing another button. This caused the cranes to spin for a moment before coming to an abrupt stop, shocking the two women being held by them.

"Better hurry Hiccup." Viggo taunts from across the roof. At this point, he's actually weighing his options. What the hell could he do? It's times like this where he wished he had a-

His hand farted behind his back, grasping at something. There it is. His secondary grapnel launcher. He smirked to himself and drew out a shuriken, allowing the metal weapon to show to his enemy before launching it at him.

Viggo smacked it away in a huff and shouted back "Choose!!"

"Fine…." Night Fury said with a look towards Heather and then towards Cressida Larson.

"I choose Cressida." He decided, watching as Viggo's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"That was...surprisingly easy for you. Alright then." He says while flipping a switch on the side of his controller and tapping two more buttons. This led the crane holding Gustav's mother to turn onwards and lower her onto the roof gently. He then walked over and removed her bindings before taking off her gag.

She rushed away from the edge and stumbled over to Night Fury, who rested a hand on her arm and led her to stay gently beside him.

"Well Night Fury...your choice has been made." Viggo comments as he presses another switch, Heather's eyes going wide as the crane began to release its cable.

"Indeed it has." Night Fury replies while launching another shuriken, this one knocking the controller out of his hand. He wasted no time in rushing across the roof and towards her- firing out his backup grapnel and aiming towards the cable.

But Viggo knew better.

A swift slashing motion led the grapnel's line to be cut apart, and led a crestfallen look to appear on the Night Fury's face.

"NO!!" He screamed as he rushed towards the edge, fumbling to catch the end of her cable. He just barely made it, but managed to grab on and stop her descent just in time.

"You fool!" Viggo shouted before sending a kick to Night Fury's side, leading him to release the cable.

"No no no no no!!!" He scurried to peer over the edge, and he knew then that he was truly too late. Viggo looked interesting with a smile on his face as he walked away from the scene. Hiccup could've turned and fought the man...but he was too focused on Heather's freefalling form.

Time seemed to slow to a standstill now. His mind was working at the speed of light as he prayed for a way to fix this...before it was too late. He felt helpless, like a child lost in the woods alone. Helpless to watch as his best friend fell from his grasp, fell from his safety. Memories flashed back and forth, of them growing up and becoming the heroes they'd become. And all of those memories began to break him

{Can you hear me screaming please don't leave me}

Her eyes moved around the area, finding nothing but blurred buildings and the darkness being kept away by the lights of each blur. And yet she still saw him, saw his outstretched hand trying to reach her, but not being able. Saw as he fumbled in the dark to reach for his grapnel, and found nothing. Saw as he screamed her name during her descent

{Hold on, I still want you}

Hiccup's breath hitched then, and it felt as though an eternity had passed since she was sent tumbling over the edge. His cape was in tatters, his grapnel was gone...he couldn't reach her in time..

{Come back, I still need you}

Silence filled the air now, or at least that's all he could hear. Soon the sounds of sirens rushing thought out the city and the screams of people below filled his ears. And he looked down, seeing it all. The blood splashed against the pavement, her body crumbled and contorted in ungodly ways. And her eyes, still open from it all. She felt it...she saw it all. The terror that coursed through her must have been great.

{Hold on, I still need you}

He was down into the streets almost an instant after, having ran and taken the fastest route he could find. He felt his heart pounding against his chest- almost as though it were telling him he was too late. He knew he was...but he needed to see her.

Finally reaching the ground, his tears began to fall as he laid eyes upon her. His best friend, the one that held him up when he was down..she's gone. He trudged over to Heather's crestfallen form and lifted her head gently, not caring for the blood that seeped from the back and through the fabric of his gloves. He rocked her body gently, a motion that helped to comfort him slightly. And then he hugged her close, crying onto her chest as she lay still.

The funeral came mere days later, Hiccup sitting in the front row with the rest of his friends, all wearing black suits and ties or black dresses. Astrid rested a hand onto his shoulder as a form of comfort, but it did nothing to ease the guilt he felt as the pastor gave out words on Heather.

Carrying her casket felt like he was carrying the weight of the world- heavier than he ever expected it to be. As they walked out of the church doors, he cast a look over to Snotlout. But his cousin's head was down, facing the ground beneath them as they moved onwards. He, Eret, Snotlout and Throk had become pallbearers for the ceremony. And none of them felt good about it.

As Hiccup rested in the chair of the computer room that night, his mind was racked with images of her fall. He couldn't do anything to stop them, nor could he fix what he'd done. His thoughts were interrupted by the appearance of Snotlout who wore a leather jacket over a black shirt and a pair of blue jeans. He carried with himself a black duffel bag and merely glared at Hiccup.

Hiccup stared back at his cousin, neither one moving to speak in the moment. Hiccup finally got the courage to speak after moments of silence

"Snot, I-"

Snotlout heard none of it, grabbing his bag and turning to exit the room. He had enough of this, enough of the reckless decisions. And he'd lost more than he'd ever thought he would now.

Leaving the mansion, Snot gazed at the moon in the sky before walking over to his motorcycle and finally, taking off.

Hiccup heard each sound, listened as Snot left him, left them, behind. And he couldn't blame him. He looked over to the duffel bag that he'd packed earlier in the day, still pondering over his next move. But he already knew it.

His eyes moved down then, to the plane ticket that rested beside the keyboard. A one-way flight to Jiaju, China. He didn't even look up from it as Astrid entered the room and stood next to him.

"Are you alright?" She asked softly, though she already knew the answer. He looked up to her, eyes still red from the crying he'd done earlier on.

He simply shook his head and muttered a small "No."

"It's not your f-"

"Don't...please don't." He replied, cutting her off. It was his fault, no matter how they viewed the situation.

"Hiccup. You couldn't stop him, that's not on you."

"Yes it is Astrid. He's right...I claim to be a hero, and I still couldn't save both of them...I should've...I should've done something else. I don't know what else but I should've." He says, running a hand through his hair before looking towards the floor.

"She was my best friend. One of the closest allies I've ever had and now...now she's gone."

"I know you feel this way. But that situation was rigged for you to lose no matter what. You said it yourself, Viggo plotted it out to make sure you couldn't save her." She replied, growing a bit upset at his words.

"Astrid, I could've. I just know I could've done something more." He said, standing up and walking over to his bag.

"So what? You're just gonna leave too? You're our leader Hiccup!"

"No I'm not." He says, abruptly turning to look at her "I'm just an idiot in a suit...I'm not a leader and I'm certainly not a hero. Not anymore."

Astrid could feel it. Could feel the emotion he was sending, and she knew this would be a losing battle with him. His mind was set, deadset. And he couldn't change that, nor could she force him to stay.

"I need to leave...need to go. This...this is done for now." He says while lifting the bag and throwing the strap over his shoulders. He grabbed his plane ticket and made his way towards the door, looking at her one more time.

"I'll..I'll call you when I get there." He said, finally walking out of the room. Astrid couldn't help but to sit down in the chair and watch a s he walked out on her- tears welling up in her eyes.

Hiccup tossed his bag into the back of his car and started it up, speeding away from the manor for fear that he'd change his mind. He can't do this, not anymore. He's lost too much, and he's not going to lose anymore. As he drove, he found his thoughts carrying towards the beach on the north side. He and Astrid had frequented it in their time together , and it was the perfect place for releasing by a bonfire.

He still had an hour to check into the airport. An hour to get his shit together. So her turned onto the ramp leading towards the expressway, and drove until he reached beach. It was a rather short drive, most likely made short by his thoughts occupying his time.

Hiccup reached into his backseat for his briefcase and drew it out, staring at its contents for a moment before walking out into the sand.

It was a cool night to say the least, the weather was perfect. After admiring the stars and the moon for a bit, he enacted his plan. Dropping the case onto the ground, he opposed it open and stared at the black material inside.

The eyes of the Night Fury's mask stared back at him, almost berating him for his foolishness. But no more would they do that.

A moment or so later, the case and the suit inside was set ablaze. The materials took about seven minutes to fully start burning, but once they did he felt some form of peace.

Checking the time once again, Hiccup kicked a large amount of sand up to snuff the flames before getting back into his car. The burned and wrecked suit of the Night Fury sat there in the sand, unrecognizable to anyone who'd find it.

Driving off, his guilty conscience carried him along the way, and away from the life of the "hero".

———


	18. Arc 2: The Beginning of The End

Jiaju, China

Hiccup wandered around the field outside the temple for a bit, trying to focus primarily on the setting sun in the distance. Everything seemed so different now. So weird. Christmas had passed without a word of knowledge here, opting for an intense training day instead.

He still recalled the day he left to board the plane. He'd worn a fake beard, a black wig and blue color contacts along with a pair of sunglasses to keep his identity secure. Buying the ticket was annoying enough as he went through the process of forging a whole new identity.

To the Immortals, he was still Henry "Hiccup" Haddock. But to the workers at Dragon's Edge International Airport, he was Jay Baruchel, just a guy trying to get some peace in a disclosed area in China. It's been going well so far. Upon landing, he took a car ride out as far as he could to reach the area- then walked from there.

Eventually he found it, Zhanshi Temple. It was closed off , no pathways for vehicles to enter and trained eyes keeping watch over the skies. The temple was ran by Chaghatai Khan, a descent of Chagatai Khan, the second son of Genghis Khan. This man was heralded as one of the greatest warriors of the modern time, supposedly using ki energy to increase his striking power. Did Hiccup believe it? Yes.

He found it all to be true as he overcame the man's initial challenge- defeating his twelve deadliest students in a group battle. He still remembered the day quite well.

He'd strolled up to the temple's front doors, taking a moment to admire the gold and red color scheme of the place before deciding to knock. The doors opened slowly as a league of men and women, dressed in scarlet gi's with golden sashes over their left shoulders and golden belts and boots greeted him with silent stares.

He was a bit out of it, and awkwardly waved and gave a toothy grin. "I'm uh...here for Chaghatai Khan." He explained, soon finding a laugh echoing through the halls to answer him.

"I am him." Answered a somewhat deep voice, an Asian man with black hair slicked to the back of his neck and a beard approaching and making his way through the crowd of silent warriors. He wore red gi bottoms, and a golden sash across his bare chest- battle scars from the years showing on his body.

Hiccup nodded before bowing before the man, a gesture that Khan returned. "It is nice to see you again Henry." Khan said with a pat of Hiccup's left shoulder as he came back up . Hiccup smiled at the gesture though felt a slight jolting sensation as he withdrew his hand.

"Same to you master. I've come back because...I feel I've lost my way." He explains, his eyes drifting towards the floor momentarily.

Khan could see the sadness behind the younger man's eyes, and felt it best to allow him entry. "You have a home here. But you'll have to earn your spot back." He says with a chuckle before turning towards his group of silent students.

"Shǒuwèi! Fābù!" He shouted in his native dialect. Twelve warriors, wearing black in the place of the scarlet uniforms, stepped forth and stared over at them.

"Welcome young Henry home."

Hiccup eyed each of them carefully. Three of them were females, one standing at just an inch short of his height, the others about the same height- 5'7. Then the males, all a bit over his height.

"Alright guys, lets see what you've got."

They were quick to strike after that- four men leaping at the same time with different areas to attack. He back flipped away and found himself pressed against the door after avoiding these strikes, only to be met with a punch aimed at his face and two to his stomach.

The face punch was blocked easily, the body shots were not. They rocked him slightly, but he quickly recovered and lept upwards, kicking the two back before sweeping the feet of the one who'd punched him. Immediately following that, the other nine made their attacks all at once.

It wasn't a clusterfuck either, it was coordinated. Nine bodies moving at once in perfect harmony against one single opponent. He had no option but to roll out of the way and leap back, driving his elbow into one of their necks to put him out of commission.

One down, eleven left. Hiccup rebounded and sent a sharp kick to another one's chest, driving him towards the two behind him. Hiccup sprung into a somersault and landed on top of all of them, delivering three sharp yet powerful strikes to each of their faces.

Now there were only eight left.

Easy. Or at least he thought it would be. The other eight were quick to rush, Hiccup barely managed to kick away two of them as the other six took his arms. He managed to leap down into a roll to get them off, leaving two still hanging on. That would bode well for him as he used his increased strength to swing his left arm and slam one into the other, causing both of them to release. That left four on the floor now- two still standing strong.

He rushed at the two, lept into a corkscrew flying forearm and drove his elbow into one man's chest, his feet hitting the other warrior in the stomach on the way down. As they landed, Hiccup drew to a kneeling stance and looked around as the ones he hadn't knocked out began to get up, preparing for war. Suddenly, a clap of hands caught all of their attention.

Turning towards Khan, the man bore a smile as he watched the display and drew his hands apart. "Excellent work . Welcome home Henry."

"Well that's quite the welcome now isn't it?" Hiccup asks as the master of the temple approached, gently clapping a hand onto Hiccup's right shoulder- a simple action that sent yet another jolt down the young man's spine.

Jiajiu Fields

"Now what's this about you losing your way?" Khan asks as the auburn haired man shoots him a look, Khan immediately reading the disparity behind his eyes.

"I...I made a horrible decision. One that cost one of my best friends her life. And that wasn't even the first horrible decision I've made." He exclaims, running a hand over a tall strand of grass as the two walk along the path.

"What happened?" Chaghatai asked as he looked over at the younger man once again, Hiccup giving a sigh.

"I thought I was smart. I was arrogant. Forced to choose between two lives on a rooftop- I chose a civilian and Heather was dropped. I thought I could save her- but my cape was dismantled before hand. My grapnel too. But I had my secondary grapnel and used that ...and that line was cut almost as soon as it caught onto her." He explained, Khan merely nodded as they continued their walk.

"From there, all I could see was her body colliding with the ground below. I made the worst decision of my life...or at least I was too arrogant to see any other way."

Chaghatai gave a subtle nudge then, looking down to him. "Everyone makes mistakes. It sounds to me as though you were set to fail no matter what."

Hiccup reeled back slightly upon hearing that. "I could've done something!"

"Such as?" Khan asked, leaving Hiccup in silence for the moment. Finally, the two approached a table and stone bench set up near a well in the center of the field, Khan reaching for two glasses beside the well and setting one down. He looked back to Hiccup, who was still silent.

"I thought so...Henry. I am eight hundred and thirty six years old. I've lived through many wars, many struggles and many inhuman moments. I've learned to view life as a battlefield, and cherished the times of peace. Many of my children have died and moved on, some still remain…" Chaghatai began as he took a seat across from Hiccup, pouring a glass of water.

Hiccup's eyes snapped up in confusion as he spoke. {Wait what?}

"I've lived so long, and been so many places that I've spun up enough lies to keep my secret covered for a millennia. People believe I'm a descendant of Chagatai Khan, when in truth I'm the man himself." He takes a long drink from the glass as Hiccup begins to transfer what he'd just been told.

"I-I'm sorry did I hear you correctly?" He asks with a wide eyed expression as Khan chuckles and looks at him.

"You did. I am the son of Ghengus Khan, and I've lived for over eight hundred years. How? Simple- chi energy." He exclaimed as he poured himself another glass of water.

"I've retained the physical form of a 50 year old man who's pushed his body beyond its peak for this long because of that energy. That energy courses through me, it's in my being Henry. It courses through the walls of this temple, through the students, through you even!" He said with a soft chuckle. "Let's not get off track. What I'm trying to say, or at least what I'm getting around to saying is- I've been around and made millions of mistakes. And I've learned that you can't necessarily save everyone, hero or not."

Hiccup seemed to take in the man's words then, reaching to pour himself a glass of water then. "Well...if I can't be a perfect hero...what can I do?" He asks, Khan wiped a bit off water off the corner of his lip before he answered the younger man..

"You can be a damn near perfect man."

Now

That had been about three months ago. It was March now, March 1st to be exact. This was the day he usually celebrated his birthday- as he was born on a leap year on the 29th of February. But as far as birthday celebrations go, he had none planned. Opting instead for an even more intense training day- to celebrate his ascension to the age of 25.

Hiccup moved away from the tall grass in the field and rested at the same table he'd spoken with Chaghatai at only months before, running a hand through his auburn hair- which stopped just above his shoulders. He had a bit of stubble riddling his chin and lip now. He'd lost care for maintaining his hair, allowing it to grow freely in his self imposed exile from the Immortals- and the title of Night Fury.

He had enjoyed it there- enjoyed the calm surroundings and lack of crime. And yet his mind was still riddled with his mistakes- his failures and the potential people that could be in danger with his absence. But he cast those thoughts aside, feeling it best to let his friends handle it. They'd be fine without him, he knew they would.

He cast aside his thoughts to focus once again. For the past few months he'd been taking his mother's words to heart- and after training with Chaghatai again, he'd found it.

His left hand seemed to shake slightly, small sparks of energy teeming around his fingertips like little lights. And then, they ignited. Blue flames of energy surrounded his hand right up to his wrist, and Hiccup smirked before turning and sending a punch to the floor, creating a decent sized crater and shaking the foundation of the area ever so slightly.

Dragon's Edge

"I'm circling around now." Cami's voice shrieked into her communicator as she chased down a rocket that had been fired down a street in the city, changing its course to direct it towards the waters surrounding the pier to minimize any potential damage. With a BOOM and a large burst of water, the weapon was dealt with. Now she sped back towards the other Immortals, who were preoccupied with a man in a large suit of armor, built similar to a Colossus Javelin, save for the silver color scheme and the hammerhead shark like helmet.

"What's this guys deal anyways?" Eret asked as he sidestepped to avoid an oncoming laser burst before returning the favor with a burst of radioactive energy at the man's left arm, cutting through the outer shell and showcasing some of its wiring.

"Names Magnus Fink, a small time inventor who wants into the big leagues." Astrid explains as her eyes go white, a large bundle of lightning bolts surging down and striking Magnus' suit from top to bottom. A moment or so after this strike, the man fell to his knees in the large suit, it's head popping off to allow the short man to crawl free from the now de-powered shell.

"Sadly, his inventions never work well." She said while walking over to him with Eret and Cami at her side. The small, brown haired man looked up with a goofy grin and chuckled softly.

"Er…I surrender?" He said, the three Immortals smiling as Eret says "Good choice."

Immortals Manor

"This is annoying." Astrid exclaimed with a sigh as she tossed her mask onto the conference room table and took to the computer, bringing up a list of super criminals. "We still have 25 criminals free- including Viggo's gang, who has been SILENT since Hiccup left!" She shouted, her anger obviously boiling up.

Eret stirred a spoon into a cup of coffee and sighed softly as he listened to their blonde leader's complaints, before he cast a look over to Cami.

The speedster was currently unrolling a ball of yarn while ignoring Astrid for the most part, chiming in eventually with "Not like we haven't tried searching for em." Eret gave an abrupt nod towards her and added his own input.

"Yeah, and all of our leads were dead ends. Blackout's and Hotstreak's energy signatures basically disappeared off our radars bec-"

"Because we can't work the radars like Hiccup, Heather or Snotlout could." Astrid concluded, drawing a palm to her face. Just then the computer sounded with a series of beeps- Fanghook's personalized icon appearing on the screen. She moved over and tapped the 'Enter' key to answer the call.

"Astrid, I found something. It's kinda cool honestly. But uh, seems more important." The teenager explained as The three listened in.

"We're on our way. Drop your location and stay there." She replied .

"Got it!" Was the young hero's response as he ended the transmission. The group of three took off from the panel and the room- Eret leaving his coffee cup resting on a table inside as he entered his light form and took flight through the front doors of the manor- Cami raced out behind him but soon passed him up with Astrid tailing the two as she shot off into the sky.

A rustling in the bushes outside the manor occurred as the heroes took off, a dark figure watching their exit before moving from the shrouded area and headed towards the backyard.

Vespa City, North Carolina

A one bedroom apartment in a rundown area was currently all he had left to his name. The walls were tainted with stains from previous inhabitants- blood, food and other unruly substances littered the otherwise white wallpaper. As he stood in the kitchen, wearing nothing but a white wifebeater and a pair of black jogging pants, his eyes wandered from the eggs cooking on the stove to the television playing across the room.

"And in other news today, another successful drug bust thanks to some help from the mysterious figure that's been watching over our city since December. No one has seen a face or really anything to determine who this person is, but he's been busting up drug rings, gun running operations and even human trafficking circles since his debut. And so, we're once again thankful for the aid of the mysterious vigilante- labeled "Unknown" by the media." The reporter said with a smile as he flipped the television off- looking back to his food and dumping it onto a plate.

The man moved from the kitchen after shutting off the fire and over to the couch, scrambling around the 6 eggs on his plate before setting them next to a bottle of beer. He sat down then, looking back at the dark screen of the television for a moment. He seemed to be drawn into the screen, or rather what it reflected. Off the screen was a dark haired figure- his hair looking rough and gritty as it draped down near the back of his neck. The stubble that had previously plagued his face had grown into and inch long hairs upon his face. His own blue eyes seemed devoid of light, of life in general.

He finally noticed the various food stains on his shirt and pants, and the slight increase of weight in his gut area. His abs were there, in the form of a six pack that had been expanded by beer and lack of exercise.

He was a wreck- physically and mentally. His own arms, which previously had allowed him to lift up to 790 lbs, were much weaker- a bit flabby even. The only thing keeping him looking somewhat in shape was his meta human genes- even though he was only half meta.

Scott stared at his reflection for what felt like forever, eventually growing tired of it. Enraged even. His plate was sent flying at the screen, shattering the China onto the floor. He painted slightly as he rolled onto his back to lay down, eyes staring up at the ceiling.

He could only imagine what it felt like. Falling with no hope, no chance of survival. Hitting the ground and being taken out of this world. His head swiveled downwards, spying the desert eagle he kept on the coffee table and the three rounds that lay beside it.

No hesitation was given as he reached out and pulled it towards himself, tears threatening to break free from his eyes with every thought he had. He missed her. Even though they'd been apart for years- even though he'd died first. He still missed their bond.

Heather was his rock, the person that kept him sane, kept him from losing it. And she's gone. And Hiccup, he was a genius in his own right. But his arrogance led him to be a fool.

He moved slowly, pressing the barrel against his temple. Allowing his tears to finally fall free, he simply stared up at the ceiling with the gun on his forehead. What to do?

What it be worth it? Carrying on without her? Carrying on hating him for his decision? If he was being honest, he needed a hero of his own right about now. His breath hitches for a moment- and everything went dead silent as the trigger pulled.

Nothing.

Not a single sound but a metallic click resounded through the area. He left the safety on….again.

Cursing his cowardice, he threw the weapon back down onto the table and sat up with a start, looking over at something else.

A needle and a rubber tie lay next to the weapon. He grabbed that without a second thought, the tie going around his bicep and being squeezed tight until a vein showed it self.

Drawing up the needle, he plunged it in and shot up once again, soon dropping it onto the table and releasing the tie. This felt better. This felt like sanity.

Dragon's Edge- Outskirts

"What...the fuck?" She said as everyone simply stated with wide eyes. What lay before them was just plain weird. It was some sort of pod- definitely not from Earth.

Gustav had called them all there to investigate- before the media swarmed the area. And when they arrived, they honestly hadn't known what to expect. But this was beyond anything they could imagine.

It was matte black in color, with green oval shaped windows and metal indentions similar to veins- lying in the middle of a field. The path of tussled and burnt dirt it left behind was a hit haunting, as was the small crater it lay in.

"Uh...is that an alien ship?" Eret asked as his body returned to its normal color and he approached it. His hand hovered over the hull of the pod, but he reeled back in pain and dropped to his knees.

Cami and Gustav rushed to his side and found that his hand was showing signs of burn damage.

"That thing...is highly, highly radioactive. And it is NOT radiation found on earth." He said with a loss of breath.

"You alright?" Astrid asked as she approached him, still keeping a keen eye on the pod.

"Yeah. Nothing but a bit of space radiation poisoning. I'll get over it soon." He replied while coming back to his feet. Much to his chagrin, his energy levels were not shooting back to normal as he'd expected. The space radiation coming from the pod was acting as a form of deterrent to his personal healing capabilities, and his own radiation production.

"Shit…" he muttered lowly, making sure no one else could hear. If they knew just how weak he'd felt, he'd most likely be benched again like he was months ago- and he hated being benched. As Eret made a slow personal recovery, Astrid's alarm went off on her communicator. She brought up a holographic map on the minicomputer she borrowed from Hiccup's items and found a red blip giving off a high energy signature in the middle of the city.

"Looks like we've got a hit on Blackout. Center of the city- high solar energy levels." She said while turning to face the others, "We'll come back to investigate this some more later- for now let's move out."

The group shared a look, Cami being the one to speak up. "Will it be safe here? What if civilians find it or worse?" She asks as Astrid gives a glance to the pod and then back to her.

"Then we'll just post up guard here- you and Fanghook hang back and keep an eye on it until me and Nightlight return. I'll be sending Barf and Belch to assist you in case anything pops off." She said, her tone sounding a bit rough.

"Changewing is en route to the city now." Fanghook said from behind Typhoon, looking over his own holomap. "ETA 56 seconds."

"Good, we'll rendezvous with him." Was her next word, tapping into her communicator to send a message.

"Changewing, this is Stormfly. Don't engage yet- we're on our way."

"Too late!"

Central Dragon's Edge

Today had the same start as every other day. Throk woke up and showered, brushed his teeth and combed his hair before getting dressed for school. He will be graduating soon, and he was thankful for that. He had no plans for college- and yet was in talks to signing with several colleges for football.

He was actually enjoying the dual identity situation- enjoying the life he'd been set up with as a Haddock. And yet , something felt wrong. He had a car, he had a girlfriend now, and he was one of the best football players in his school. But why did he feel so off?

Could it be his humanity, or lack thereof? The fact that he wasn't simply born like everyone else? That he was instead a genetic experiment that escaped the clutches of a madman? What exactly could he did to deter these feelings?

He wondered about that a lot, even as he slid on the green helmet he'd gotten so accustomed to wearing when he went out as Changewing. He always wore the suit beneath his regular clothes, never once feeling hot or sweaty due to his genetic coding.

He found himself now flying over the city at Mach speed- making his way towards a disturbance. He couldn't help but smile as he found out just who it was. Blackout was always an issue for heroes on his own- having originally given trouble to Windshear years ago before she called Hiccup for Tech support to take him down.

Now she's gone, and he's running rampant with a whole slew of villains- but The Immortals aren't gonna fold that easily.

"Changewing, this is Stormfly. Do not engage yet, we're on our way." He had him right in his sights.

"Too late!" He called back to his new leader just as he tackled the solar powered man out of the sky and onto a rooftop, sending a sharp punch to the center of his helmet.

"Ah, the heroes arrive."

"Afraid not all of us yet- you get me for now." Is Changewing's response as he is sent flying back from a punch. Blackout arises and unleashes a beam of black energy straight from his chest, Changewing shifting his arms into an X over his body to block the blast.

He skidded back from the force of impact- the energy actually leaving subtle burn marks on the forearms of his suit. He shrugged it off as Blackout ceased this attack and gave a smirk.

His auburn eyebrows knitted together as he saw the man smirk, bringing his arms down before igniting them in flame, two straight forward bursts of heat launching out at the opposer.

Blackout met him head on with a counter blast- the two forms of concentrated energy colliding in the air before

BOOM

The collision sent both of them flying into the streets, shattered the windows of the three buildings nearest them, and sent even more civilians running away from the site.

As the glass collided with the ground below, the two men did as well, almost in sync with every tattered shard. Changewing recovered much quicker, and bound his feet before launching himself at his opponent with a jet stream motion.

He tackled Blackout into a brick wall, causing that section to cave in slightly. Changewing was sparing no expense here- capturing Blackout would prove to be a good thing for the Immortals later on.

"Where's the rest of your crew?" The clone asked as he brought up a fist and delivered a punch to the man's face- hearing a small crack upon impact.

Blackout still gave a smirk as he asked this. "They're right there." He said, causing Changewing to look back.

No one was there, but a thick cloud of blue gas made its way towards him. "Oh shit…" he muttered as he accidentally inhaled the gas and soon dropped to his knees.

"Your biology is unique." A voice called before a kick was sent to Changewing's side, knocking him off his knees and onto the streets.

"Usually takes less of a dosage to take down metas with my gas. You're holding out a bit longer though." The voice said , Changewing looking up finally to meet the eyes of Gaslight.

"Glad to know our trap worked though." He said finally, watching as Changewing's eyes drooped and ultimately closed.

"Let's get home back- Viggo's gonna have a field day with this one." Blackout said.

Six minutes later

Stormfly and Nightlight finally arrived with the others still on call. And they arrived to nothing, nothing but the damage left from a small battle. Stormfly was quick to act, immediately asking a police officer nearby if they'd seen anything.

"I saw Changewing fighting that Blackout guy. Then some weird gas hit the area and he went down." The Officer said, much to Stormfly's dismay. She gave a look to Nightlight then back to the officer.

"And then?" She asked, her tone a bit hopeful.

"And then they took him."

And with that, her face dropped into a scowl. She took off into the skies with a small stream of lightning behind her, Nightlight following suit.

"This is getting even more out of hand. We've already lost one Immortal- I refuse to lo-" Stormfly had began, her words being cut off by the sound of a loud explosion resonating through the area. Stormfly and Nightlight turned mid flight and hovered overhead as they watched the scene.

"Oh God…" Nightlight muttered as a large cloud of green gas seeped through the streets from one of the buildings.

"No…." Stormfly was at a loss for words. Dragon's Edge had never had an attack like this on it before- and with this being a chemical weapon majority of the city would be under quarantine.

"This is it… the beginning of the end." She said, Nightlight tapping into his comm to alert the others.

As he did this, Stormfly moved to contact someone else. She prayed silently that the transmission would go through- that he'd answer.

And when it didn't, her heart dropped. But she was still determined.

"Stormfly to Night Fury. There's been a major chemical attack on Dragon's Edge...we need your help Hiccup." She said.

…..

"we need your help Hiccup."

Her voice came through clear as day on his communication device. He'd kept it with him for months now, never being able to bring himself to dispose of it. He had been speaking with Khan about his path in life when the message came through, and he really didn't want to go.

But this was it- this was what he needed. That push to return and be who he knew he was. A hero.

His mind was made up then and there- he knew what he had to do. Sharing a look with Chaghatai, the man said no words and merely gave a nod to Hiccup. Hiccup turned then, heading towards his quarters. Not even a full twenty minutes later, he was walking through the field outside the temple and tapping away at his phone, dialing a familiar number and sending the call through.

"Gobber? It's me. I'm gonna need you to make something for me. I'll pick it up in a couple of days." He said, the two soon beginning to converse as Hiccup made his way out of the Jiajiu field and towards the lone road that brought him here originally. It was time to take back Dragon's Edge, and time for the Night Fury to be reborn.

——

Alright so, the whole alien pod thing isn't just some random filler. It's a set up for Arc 3- and trust me, it will be BIG. This arc ends in two more chapters, and I'm thankful for those of you who have stuck around this long, if you stay for Arc 3, I promise to pull out all the stops for it.

Until next time-


	19. Arc 2: The End Part 1

Vespa City

Another day, another dollar. Or rather, another supply of heroin stolen from some drug dealing idiots who didn't know better. He didn't take much, never did. Just enough to hold him over until his next time- his next rage induced withdrawal. He figured nothing much had happened today, as he took to donning his black hoodie, baklava, black joggers and boots to issue out some much needed justice in Vespa. Taking small bits of the illegal substances being sold as his personal payoff for a job well done had become a routine for him. But as he sat down, ready to shoot up once again- he was halted by the words spoken on the television.

It was rare that he ever viewed Dragon's Edge's News Network- as he was far away now and mostly believed he'd avoid trouble. But trouble always found a way, todays way being a national broadcast on Channel 5' Vespa Hot News At Ten!

"A major chemical attack rained terror upon the residents of downtown Dragon's Edge and the personnel of DECH today."

Scott's eyes stared wide as the news story played on.

"Sources of the chemical attack remain unknown, though it's suspected to be the fault of the super criminal known as Gaslight" the silver haired reporter woman had said with a depressed tone. "As far as casualties, there's been confirmed one hundred five dead, thirty seven being transferred to the next medical center for intensive care, not including workers."

They'd attacked the Dragon's Edge Central Hospital- the exact same hospital responsible of majority of the city's sick and injured. Scott's eyes shot up then to the list of names that began to roll down the screen- casualties of a war that the city didn't deserve. They moved from the screen, ripping away from the image and down to the desert eagle, rage building up inside as he took the weapon in hand and removed the safety, opening fire with three shots to the television.

If there was ever a time for a push to do something, he'd figured this would be it. Time to stop sitting around and sulking, because this was literally a cry for help from those people- and a wake up call. Everyone's going through something, and they're most likely not drowning themselves in addiction like him.

The needle in his hand shook with his body, before soon being crushed by his previously open palm. The small bits of glass that spread throughout barely even pinched the man's skin and simply dropped to the floor with the now useless substance.

He looked then to the partially open closet nearby, bits of red and black material peeking from out of his bag on the closet floor, and blank plexiglass eyes staring back at him, almost boring holes into his very soul.

He gave a soft grunt and a nod of assurance, almost as though he'd been mentally communicating with the Nightmare suit. Maybe it was his meta human mind, his enhanced way of thinking and functioning that alloted these thoughts. Maybe it was Heather, somehow pushing him from the beyond and telling him to stop being such a...lout. He didn't know what it was, but it certainly helped in the moment.

"Alright...it's rehab time." He muttered as he shot to his feet and walked towards the kitchen, ripping open the refrigerator door and grabbing a bottle of Budweiser. He popped the top off and began to chug the beverage, stopping halfway through to wipe his mouth. "After this beer."

Dragon's Edge, Immortals Manor

Gustav's eyes moved across the keyboard with a swiftness, barely keeping up with the movements of his own fingers as he typed. The chemical attack from three days ago had made it clear that this had truly escalated into a war, and he was more than happy to bring it to those villains after this horrible little stunt.

He moved back up to the screen in an instant, after hitting "ENTER" and watched as his search results soon appeared. There sat a list of the world's known heroes, and he was more than ready to type up an open invite to an asskicking.

"Big Hero Six, Ice Queen, Rapunzel, Jack Frost, Huntress…." and the list seemed to go on, Gustav even going as far as to pool retired heroes into his little group message.

"What are you doing?" Came a voice, the boy turned in his chair to meet the cool blue eyes of Astrid as she and Camicazi approached.

"Uh...rallying the troops." He replied, matter-of-factly. He'd been shaking with rage since the incident, prepared at any given moment to go all out on these bastards- but found himself restrained at every turn.

"Gustav, we can handle them ourselves." Astrid confirmed as she approached, not at all managing to ease the boy's ever twitching fingers as they hovered over the keyboard.

"But what if we can't Astrid?!" He called back as she finally stepped over and gently gripped his hand, taking it into her own.

"We can. We won't need an army for a group of low lives like this- we'll simply rely on each other."

"How? How can we possibly rely on each other when we're short FOUR WHOLE MEMBERS NOW?!?" He'd shouted, his hand tightening in her grip and straining hers a bit. She could feel the rage, the aggression of a boy going wild behind his eyes.

And she placed her free hand upon his head, tussling his hair in a calming motion. "Why do you think we can't do it?" She asked finally- the question having been on her mind for a good minute now, but refusing to leave her mouth until now.

It was then that his wall came shattering down, and he thrust himself into her arms- allowing his tears to stain her navy blue blouse.

"Everything's broken!! Heather is dead, Scott is gone, Hiccup is gone…and now they've..they've got my best friend!!" He shouted into her stomach, Astrid rubbed gently at the boy's back as Cami looked on in contempt.

She had paid a good bit of attention to the two youngest Immortals since their first day of High School. She, alongside Hiccup, had seen them both grow as people together. They knew the strong bond the boys shared- so she understood his feelings now. She cursed herself silently, having focused so much on her own disparity that she'd neglected his, or any others until now.

Everyone was hurting, some hiding it much better than others. Everyone felt the pain from the past few months- and everyone suffered from the recoil of it all.

She pulled her arms around his frame, taking a mental note of the boy's recent increase in strength as he hugged her. Silently, Astrid spoke into his ear. "We'll do it just as we did before. Together, no matter how many we lack or how many we gain- we will triumph." She confirmed, as she pulled away with a smile and gently cupped his chin.

"That's what makes us Immortals."

The Boy's eyes locked with hers, soon stopping their rampant flowing of tears to close shut. He nodded and gave a small smile then, before he moved away from the seat and wiped his face.

"I'm gonna...go and train." He said as he looked to Astrid once again, the smile upon her face brightened his day further. He then looked to Cami who gave a smirk and rested a hand upon his shoulder.

"You're a lot stronger than you look ya know. Use that to your advantage...and never let that will of fire die out." Was all she said as she gripped his shoulder, then allowed the young Immortal to exit the room.

She looked to Astrid then and walked over as the other blonde took a seat at the computer. "So what are you doing now?" She asked, noting the Digital Design software that Astrid had pulled open.

"Gettin ready- the right way." Astrid replied as she uploaded a list of physical measurements into the toolbar and began to enter the proper coding, a white bodysuit appearing on the screen.

"Well it's about time. You've been wearing that old stealth suit for a year now." Cami commented as Astrid shot her a glare.

"And what about you, Miss Same Suit for Years?" Was her snarky response, Cami simply shrugged.

"Mine is classic. Yours is a prototype that's been in the proto-stage for way too long." She said with a laugh, managing to get a grin from a Astrid as well.

"Fair enough. But Stormfly 2.0 is gonna be amazing."

Unknown

Viggo smiled as he looked over to the figure strapped down with bindings forged of steel-gold alloy. He had been placed in a specially made glass casing, connected to four ducts. Blackout and Gaslight had truly outdone themselves for once, and he could safely say he was pleased.

"Changewing is it?" He asked through a speaker on the silver plated control panel for his container, the red haired figure looked up to meet his eye.

"Or is it Throk Haddock?"

This next question caused Throk to lurch forward with a glare aimed at the man, his eyes not getting their usual red-orange tint as he did so.

"I think you'll find your confinement to be quite precise. It's quite simple, yet quite complex all the same." Viggo exclaimed with a cold grin as Throk snarled at him. "Gaslight and I rigged the ventilation system of your container with a highly potent toxin that shuts down your neural connection to your meta gene."

"How do you know?" Was Throk's initial response as he ignored Viggo's comment on his lack of power. He could care less right now about being powerless, and simply wanted to know more about the potential breach in his , and possibly the others, identities.

"Let's just say...I had someone on the inside." Viggo said, turning to give a nod to a figure who'd been shrouded by the shadows of the room. They stepped forwards from their concealment, the blonde haired form that showed its face almost making Throk sick to his stomach.

"N-no...Mala?!?"

"H-hi Throk." She said. He took note of her appearance, the black and gold lines suit she wore bringing up images of Viggo's own suit in his head.

"You're kidding...what are you doing with him? What's going on?!" Throk asked/shouted towards the blonde who he'd called his girlfriend for the past three months now. Mala showed some form of regret, albeit mostly shrouded by other unreadable emotions within her eyes.

"I...I work for him…" she explained, cutting a look to Viggo as the man chuckled and wraps an arm around her neck

"Oh don't be so shy! Allow me to properly introduce Mala King...or should I say Mala Grimborn!" He said with a shout, making the feeling in Throk's stomach grow worse. His eyes went wide and soon made their way to the gray tiled floor beneath his bindings, not moving from that spot.

"Codename: Sleuther...she's a real chip off the block if I do say so myself." Viggo continued much to Throk's chagrin.

Mala looked from her father and over to Throk's shocked form, a look of contempt coming upon her face as she loosely wrestled her way from beneath the man's arm.

"You said you would leave him alone!" She exclaimed next, pointing a gold tipped finger at Viggo who gave a roll of his eyes to her.

"Darling, you can cut the act now. We both know you don't care for that...thing in there." Is his response, a sly grin came upon his face as he looked to Throk once again.

"I've got plans for him...very big plans."

Dragon's Edge

"I'm closing in on the target now." Came a voice from beyond the radio of a blacked out tactical helicopter as it moved over the city's skyline.

"Keep on him." Came the response of a gruff male voice as the pilot kept his eyes and sensors locked into the figure below as he soared across the skyline.

Eret had set off on a more than normal Patrol, searching as many buildings and areas as he could for the lost Changewing. So far he hadn't had any luck in recovering his ally, but had attracted the unwanted attention of a black attack vehicle.

"Seriously, what did I do?" He wondered aloud as he flew downwards and landed on a high rooftop below, turning to face the pilot as the helicopter hovered just above the next building.

"Alright, what now?" The Brit asked as the helicopter locked into him. A speaker finally activated, allowing him to hear the pilot speak for the first time.

"Halt! You're being placed under arrest by the Archipelago Homeland Defense Unit." The man said, the rotors turrets of the helicopter rotating to lock onto Eret's form as he cocked an eyebrow in suspicion.

"Under what terms?" He asked- obviously finding himself unimpressed by the little display.

"You're to be brought in for questioning about the recent chemical weapon attack on downtown Dragon's Edge- you and the meta human known as Stormfly were at the scene of the incident."

"You're kidding right? We were devastated by that attack- you think we had something to do with it?!" He asked with a growl in his tone as his hands glowed with green flames, his eyes never leaving the helicopter.

"I don't know what you metas' true alignments are- but I've been tasked out to bring in as many of you as I can, and dammit I'm gonna do just that!" Is the pilot's response, the turrets opening fire and sending two small net contraptions Eret's way.

He had the briefest of flashbacks, to when he underestimated Viggo in their first encounter and got captured. He wouldn't let that happen again, and lept aside to avoid both nets, the traps hitting the roof with a clatter.

Eret took the opportunity then to rush the pilot, taking off in a near untraceable blur of green energy towards the cockpit. He stopped just as he reached the window and began to melt through it with a glowing hand, the men locking eyes.

The pilot felt a sense of panic arise upon the breaching and began to fumble around for his hand pistol, soon finding the weapon and switching its safety off. Almost as soon as he pointed it towards Eret, the radioactive man's hand wrapped around the barrel and melted it down.

"Land the bird..,and let's talk properly." Eret said as his eyes flowed a vibrant green. The pilot didn't have many options left at that point and obeyed the man's order. The helicopter landed safely on the roof beneath them, with Eret climbing off of the top and onto the rooftop.

"Now then...what the hell is the Archipelago Homeland Defense Unit and why are they just now deciding to make themselves known?" He asked as the man Unclipped his seatbelt and slid out of the vehicle.

"We're am organization devoted to the protection and defense of the United States of America, previously known as the United Archipelago of America." He explained, Eret nodding along. "We had stood by and allowed your team to take care of major issues for a while- until they got out of hand. The gas attack was what raised the most concern for us."

"The gas attack was a tragedy to all, and we've been working our asses off on tracking the culprits down to bring them to justice. We don't need any security agency breathing down our necks as we do so." Eret exclaimed as his body shuttered slightly.

"But if you truly wish to help, or protect the US or whatever- then you'll investigate the strange pod we found on the outskirts of the city."

The AHDU pilot gave a strange look then as Eret said this, then moved to take off his helmet and allow his bronze hair and clean shaven face to show.

"Strange pod?" He asked.

"Yes. It's reeking of space radiation. We moved it into a wood line and kept it covered with a large camouflage tarp for the time being." Eret said then, hovering off the ground now.

"Space radiation?! No wonder our sensors haven't picked it up. It must be damn near invisible to them." The man said with a soft sigh.

"Then you'll have to tune them a bit- atleast to the point where they can feel it scrambling them. Guarantee you'll find it then." Eret replied.

"And if we don't?"

"Then the Immortals will drop it's coordinates- officially handing the situation over to the AHDU." He ended the conversation there, taking off in a huff as his body lit up.

The ADHU pilot stood there dumbfounded for a moment before tapping his earpiece. "Zraak nekl haäl vēl tū?" (The egg has been found)

"Ēt vëī nīl rëxüß." (Then we must retrieve it) Came the response.

The man gave a dark glare towards Eret's path. "Kïë āglœ…. dël Grïmmël słùf vüń." (We shall...if Grimmel hasn't found it yet…)

Immortal Manor

"The Archipelago Homeland Defense Unit?" Astrid asked as she leaned back in the chair, eyes darting towards Eret.

"That's what they called themselves. Man gave off an odd vibe, but it was nothing too abnormal. Seemed to be another guy trying to do his job..I told him about the pod we found." He said, her eyes widening slightly.

"Wait what? Why would you do something like that?!" She asked as she stood to her feet- now wearing her newly printed suit.

It was very different from her previous suit- being a blue one piece suit with a golden lightning bolt belt. The legs and underarm areas had streaks of navy blue running under the azure colored base with tiny lightning bolts etched into them. Her hands were wrapped in fingerless blue gloves , featuring golden lines running down the center of her hand and onto her sleeves and metal knuckles.

The boots were golden and able to be zipped and unzipped. The biggest thing to note were the two lightning bolts that cascaded down her shoulders to the center of her back and torso to join with the belt.

Apart from that, she made a blue eye mask with yellow lenses, that rested on the computer keyboard nearby.

"To get them off of our backs Astrid." Eret replied then, ignoring the tone she gave off for the most part. "I did my research when I returned. They're legit."

"And just where did you go for this research?" She asked while crossing her arms over her chest and sending a glare his way. A glare that the man seemingly crumbled under as he replied.

"Wikipedia."

Cami couldn't help but to chuckle then- she'd been listening the whole time from the back of the room and had mostly stayed to herself. "Wikipedia? Seriously dude, couldn't get any deeper?" She asked with a grin as she stood up.

"I uh...I was honestly just trying to make sure I had at least a small bit of proof." Eret said with a rub of the back of his head, getting a giggle from Cami in response.

Astrid eyed the two carefully then, noticing the small exchange and quirked an eyebrow. "Are you two…"

"Oh um, no...well not yet…" Cami said as she looked over the details of her left glove. "We've just had a few dates...that's all."

"Oh…" Astrid said, a frown arising as she thought of her own significant other. Halfway across the world and not returning her calls- a wonderful relationship status to post on Facebook. She deterred those feelings for the time being, and listened as an alarm went off.

"What now?" She asked herself as all three focused on the computer, a visual of the hangar coming up. "Which alarm was that?" Astrid asked as Cami and Eret moved over.

"That was a mid tempo alarm with a blue light signal… that means…" Eret began as he opened up a handbook nearby, trying to find the meaning of the alarm.

"It means bomb threat." Cami finally said , her eyes wide as she zoomed in the camera onto the side of the Immortals Jet. "You guys fo check it. I'll monitor the rest of the manor just in case there's an intruder." Cami confirms, Astrid and Eret giving a nod before rushing out towards the hangar bay.

It took no time for them to get there. Astrid rushed over to the jet and inspected it, then finally found the source of the alarm.

There, strapped to the engine was a small explosive device. It flashed with a red light. Not nearly enough power to take down any of them on its own- but with the power of that engine to back it, it would wipe everyone out with ease.

"It must have just been activated." Eret said as he looked over the device. "Otherwise it would've been detected long ago, right?" He asked as Astrid nodded. It was then that she caught a look at the bombs timer.

00.10

"Get back!" Astrid screeched then as she pushed Eret away and began to rush towards the hangar exit. The large metallic door that slid open to allow entry was slowly rising now with Astrid tapping the button as much and as fast as she could.

Her actions were ceased by the explosive finally going off behind them, pushing both of them back.

Cami took a moment to breathe, then looked around the area. The image of the explosive going off had sent her into a high alert mode almost instantly. Astrid and Eret were fairly close to the blast, but that wouldn't stop her, not today.

Music always seemed to ease her mind in times of turmoil. Music is what helped to name the Immortals in the first place. So, music will help her to save them. Attached to her hip was a device similar to one of Night Fury or Fanghook's Minicomputers- but it was a music player. The glasses she wore on her suit had a special connection to them, and would play songs in her ears as she moved. The songs would even be able to be sped up to sound normal when she moved at higher speeds than normal. So now, she'd simply adjust it a bit and let it play. The sounds of 'Circles' by Post Malone played on now.

We couldn't turn around, til we were upside down

She took off in a blur and pushed her speed up to 190,000 MPH, just barely matching the pace of the explosion.

I'll be the bad guy now, but know I ain't so proud

The Immortals Jet ran off of a very complex experimental engine, so the explosion that ensued from its destruction led her to have to push her physical boundaries. She moved with a swiftness, one not even matched by the likes of GoGo Tomago or even Hotstreak.

I couldn't beat it, even when I try

Rushing back to the hangar bay in an instant, she slid onto her knees and looked under the metallic doors that were partially up in the hangar bay, looking on as Eret and Astrid are seen being thrown back by the blast.

You don't believe it...we do this every time

She slid her body under the gap with ease and took off towards her friends, stopping in front of Eret to push aside a few stray pieces of shrapnel. The speedster then popped her hands and grabbed the radioactive man, rushing back to the door and phasing both of them through the metal before delivering him outside, about fifty feet from the Manor's gate.

Seasons change and I love when it calls

She doubled back and grabbed Astrid next, taking care to place the mask of the new suit she'd made upon her face before taking her out to safety too. And just like that, she was gone.

Feed the flame cause we can't let it go

Her next run around led to the housing area- where she searched and scoured each room for any signs of life. So far she'd only found Toothless lying there on the floor and eating away at a dry bone. She pet the dog gently on the head before lifting him up and rushing him out into the yard, moving back to grab his bone and dog bowl as well.

Run away but we're running in circles, run away, run away

Next she found Gustav in the kitchen, eating away at a bowl of cereal. She made haste in grabbing the boy and taking him out, then returned to grab his bowl and spoon. Cami circled back one last time and pulled open the fridge, grabbing a bundle of grapes and popping each one into her mouth just as the wall behind the fridge began to burst open.

I dare you do something, I'm waiting on you again

With all the living beings removed from the Manor, she had nothing else to worry about. Or so she thought- as she moved back and forth throughout the large building again she found herself smacking a palm to her face as she realized one thing- she hadn't grabbed Heather's memorial from the training area.

So I don't take the blame

An increase in temperature told her that the blast was approaching even faster now, and she turned to watch as the wall of the hall she was in began to rip apart from the force.

Run away but we're running in circles

Cami's speed doubled in that instant, and she found herself scouring the training area floor just as it seemed to burst open from the bottom up, balls of flame making their way through large gashes in the floor. She ignored them for the most part and lept from rubble to rubble before reaching the glass case containing the gray, silver and blue suit and weaponry. Giving a slight huff, she lifted the entire case and hugged it tight to her body before rushing out of the room.

Run away, run away, run away

As soon as she slowed to a stop, the rest of the world finally caught up with her. The explosion was extremely loud and powerful, the force from it knocked everyone off of their feet even from behind the gate.

Astrid, Eret and Gustav rushed to their feet in surprise- eyes locking on Cami as she sat down Windshear's suit, the song still playing faintly in her ears as she then decreased the volume.

"Wow…." Astrid muttered at the woman's display of speed, to which Cami gave a two finger salute and popped her back.

"That was the fastest I've ever ran in my life." She commented, Gustav looking at the cereal bowl in his hands for a moment before speaking up.

"Just how fast were you-"

"Approximately 380,131.4 miles per hour." Was Cami's response as she sat down on the ground, allowing her back to lean against the case.

"You saved all of us." Eret said, Cami giving a smirk.

"Again- Don't forget Canada last year." She said with a subtle wink, one that brought a smile to Eret's face.

"Never will...nor will I forget this one." He assured as he walked over and offered a hand to the speedster, then pulled her to her feet. She gave him a smile before she turned to Astrid.

"So...what now?" She asked, the sounds of a motorcycle crushing the rocks beneath its armored tires soon drew all of their attention its way.

The black clad rider pulled his helmet off, allowing his rugged hair to flow free as his cool blue eyes scanned over the burning wreckage of the mansion.

"What the hell happened here?" Scott asked as everyone stared at him.

"Infiltration...sabotage. The usual." Cami replied as she made her way over to the man, sending a punch to his shoulder as a way of welcoming him back. "So, what drug you back in?" She'd asked, Scott smirking slightly.

"Let's just say I had a moment of realization." He responded as he dismounted his motorcycle and set down his helmet, everyone's eyes moving to his stomach.

"And a moment of lunch too it seems." Called Eret as Scott rolled his eyes.

"Just haven't hit the gym as much lately...no biggie." He shrugged off the comment on his apparent weight gain and walked over to the rest of the group then, a duffel bag being pulled along with him.

"So….whose head are we bustin' first?"

"Easy...Viggo's." Astrid replied as she turned to face all of them. "I've already alerted Ruff and Tuff to join us- sent them a package with some gear upgrades beforehand. We're gonna take this asshole down once and for all."

"How? We've been searching for him for months." Eret said as he leaned down to pet Toothless, who'd grown quite scared from the shockwave the explosion left.

"And I think I've found him...or atleast one of them." She replied with a smirk. "Hotstreak really doesn't know how to cloak himself." She said then, looking at Cami.

Macgarland Industries Electricity Outpost

It was so beautiful. An entire field of electricity bouncing poles all for the taking. He could've sworn he was dreaming when Viggo sent him the coordinates to this place- a limitless supply all at his disposal. Ya see, Hotstreak is what one would call a junkie.

Rather than the usual drug that people got carried away with, he preferred his own. Electricity, pure energy in its rawest form. Just thinking about it made him smile harder than a child in a candy store. And now he'd have a permanent fix of it.

Or atleast he thought so. He paused for a moment as his hand reached out to one of the metal poles, thinking back to his encounter with the Immortals months ago. It was the most painful thing he'd ever been through...but honestly the energy rush he got from it was worth all the pain in the world.

"Hey Streakie!" Came a feminine's voice, one he'd grown to love hearing in recent times.

"Typhoon. Oh how I've waited for this day." He said as he turned to face her with a grin.

"Oh? Waited for the day I break your legs and interrogate you?" She asked then, moving from the pole she'd been leaning against to approach him. Now she stood about 35 feet away.

"No...the day I snap your neck and deep fry you." He responded, pooling several thousand Volts of electricity into his body then and launching it all towards her in a massive bolt.

The bolt traveled at a blazing speed, one he was sure she would never be able to avoid. But much to his surprise, and his chagrin, she sped to the side of the energy and allowed it to hit the pole behind her. This caused the entire field to begin to light up as that same energy bounced around each and every pole.

"How the hell did you...we have limits...how did you break one?!" He asked in anger as Cami smirked and popped her fingers.

"When your friends are in danger, you get strength from your heart." She explained before rushing him in a speed blitz that was damn near invisible even to his eye. The man went flying into another pole, his back crashing into the metal quite viscously.

"Let's play a little game." Typhoon said as she stared over at him. "I punch you, you tell me more about the location of your little crew."

"Nah…" was his response as he absorbed a bit more electricity and took off in a blur. He thought he'd absorbed enough to give his body enough of a push, but realized just how wrong he was when her face collided with his nose.

The momentum from his running and the sudden stop sent him to the ground with ease, his head colliding with the ground in a harsh thump

"God dammit!" He cursed as he slammed a fist into the ground and stared up at her. She stood tall and triumphant, when it donned upon him.

He'd never reach her speed. Not like this. If he wished to best her, and truly take her down, he'd need to push his own limits.

"Alright...you wanna go?" He asked then, his body starting to vibrate to allow his molecules to pass through everything.

"Why are you-"

"THEN LET'S GO!!" He shouted then, every pole in the field lighting up at once.

"Oh no...Hotstreak, calm down!!" She shouted with a commanding tone while trying to punch the man, his body merely reflecting her shots as it formed a natural field of electric energy.

"NEVER!!!! I KNOW MY LIMITS, NOW I'LL PUSH PAST THEM!!!" He screeched, his voice being warbled by the amount of energy he'd been taking in. It all seemed like it was going to hell, until he finally stopped and dropped to his knees.

"Fucking finally." She swore as she launched a punch towards his face- her eyes widened in fear as she was thrust back by a strange invisible force.

"What the hell?!" She asked before turning back to face him again. He was on his feet and walking towards her, but she felt like she was being punched by atleast six people at once.

Typhoon dropped to her knees in pain, clutching her stomach as Hotstreak finally grabbed ahold of her and smiled.

"This right here...this is pure energy and pure speed…" he exclaimed as he struck his knee into her chin before sending a kick to her chest. The kick took her into the air a good four feet, and gave him enough of a time frame to deliver a light speed blitz.

The man launched himself forward in an unforgiving combo, delivering punch after punch within the span of a pictosecond. Cami felt every blow at once, literally not a single second passing between each one to her.

But to Hotstreak, it was like he had an entire hour to break her apart. By the time he'd finished, he'd sent approximately 250,655 punches to the woman. He would have delivered more, but felt it'd be wrong.

Her body hit the ground with a thud as she struggled to move to her feet, her vision blurring as she stared up at him.

She felt as if she was going delusional then, because the man disappeared. But he reappeared rather quickly with a smile and stared at her.

"You escaped our bomb...your friends did too. But that's fine...I'll go handle them first, then I'll come back and cut your pretty little head right off your neck."

"You'll do no such thing!" She screamed before being punched back into the dirt.

"Who's gonna stop me? Certainly not you, Slowpoke." He said with a chuckle. He stopped his laughter when a massive bolt of lightning struck the spot he stood in, bringing him to his knees.

"You really need to stop boasting and pay attention to your surroundings." Called Stormfly as she hovered overhead. The gold parts of her suit glowed white as lightning coursed throughout it.

"Last time you used me as your battery it didn't end very well...wanna see you blow up again." She said as she struck the man again, just as he escaped his dazed state of mind.

He struggled then, trying to crawl away from the torture that he'd met. When he absorbed electricity of his own accord, it felt good. It was a natural thing. When an electric current as violent and strong as hers entered his body in such a rough manner, it was like God himself was punching him into the ground.

"Please! Please for the love of God stop!!" He shouted. Every time that lightning struck his body, it was the most violent force he'd ever felt in his life. It outmatched everything- even the pain brought on by his father in his youth.

"It hurts...so...much…" he muttered, a tear escaping his eyes. This went unnoticed by Typhoon as she rose to her feet and stepped over to him.

"It hurts huh? Hurts being abused by someone stronger than you?" She asked before sending her foot crashing into the side of his head, finally knocking him unconscious. The two superheroines stood over him and looked on in disgust as they moved to pick him up.

Somewhere

The throbbing in his head was the first thing he felt when his eyes finally fluttered open. His vision was blurry, but soon seemed to set in. Though he couldn't quite make out just where he was. It was a dark building, and he knew he was currently upside down. His eyes shot around his immediate area and then to the chains that had him bound. He tried to phase through them, but that failed. He gave a silent curse as he looked to find a strange collar around his neck- most likely the source of his lack of power.

He heard the footsteps then, five different sets of them approaching his location from the same direction. His eyes finally settled upon the forms of the Immortals- Stormfly, Nightmare, Nightlight, Typhoon and Fanghook all glared up at him then.

"Let's cut to the chase- we wanna know where your gang is." Stormfly said as she and Nightmare approached, the others simply standing off to the back and watching the encounter.

Hotstreak obviously wasn't in the mood for talking- and simply snorted at the two. "Like I'll actually talk." He replied then, his eyes never leaving their two forms.

Nightmare gave a grim chuckle as he said that, pulling a handgun from a holster on his leg and aiming it at the man. "You'll talk, or you'll endure more pain than ever before."

Hotstreak's eyebrows furrowed together at that point, and he cast a glance upwards/downwards to see the floor, then looked back over to the heroes. "There's nothing you can do to me that'll make me talk. I've endured more pain than any of you can possibly imagine."

The two of them merely nodded upon hearing that, Nightmare firing from the handgun and into the man's left leg. The bullet that was sent out burst upon impact and barely left any damage- save for a small hole left in his skin. He winced at the sudden sting and looked to find a slim metal piece sticking out, with a blue light around its center.

"What the hell is this?" He asked, Nightmare smirking beneath his helmet as he set to activate the device through a link in his minicomputer. The device pinged before sending a controlled shock throughout the powerless man's body. This led him to screech in pain until the shock was soon brought to a stop.

"What the fuck was that?!?" He asked , his eyes darting around.

"That was electricity. The thing you crave so much...except ya know, that's how it feels when your body isn't able to absorb it." Stormfly explained.

Hotstreak had to bite his tongue then just to adjust to the pain. His eyes locked with hers then and he spat out at her, missing his mark completely. He tried to move against the chains once again, to summon up even the tiniest bit of power to get himself moving. But it failed as he found another shock running through his system and causing him to give up.

It dawned upon him then just how serious they were. He looked on as Nightmare adjusted the settings of the controlled shock to a higher mode, and began to fry him. It stopped almost a second after it had started, and he'd grown used to the lack of speed enhanced perception.

It sucked.

Finally, he gave into the pain and gave a shout. "337 Ferrera Street!! That's where we've been holed up!" He exclaimed, praying the information would bring about his release. The Immortals simply smirked upon receiving the information, a bolt of lightning striking through the chains to send him colliding with the floor.

He recoiled from the sudden impact and looked at them in anger as the chains came undone, moving a hand up towards the collar.

His body fell right back to the position her previously been in as another shock set in.

"Let's get him to the DEPD and then let's get over there." Stormfly commented then.

Ferrera Street- Warehouse

"I must say..,you've outdone yourself." Johann commented as he looked over the large mechanical suit before him. The arms of his suit, which had been repaired and upgraded, unfolded from their backpack mode behind him and moved over to tap the new suit.

It was a black and silver plated armor, a tank build. In similar model to a AMP Suit but offering more mobility.

"It's been synced to your suits mental link. Trader, I present to you , your Mech." Viggo commented from behind him as he laid a hand upon the other man's shoulder.

Johann smirked. "So I guess it's time then?" He asked, giving a look over to the corner where a large device rested.

Gaslight and Blackout gave a thumbs up. "Thanks to our individual genius minds, we've created the ultimate weapon for this city's downfall." Blackout commented.

The device was a bomb- hooked up to three mechanical tubes that ran down the floor tiles.

"This bomb will go off and spread a thick fog of hallucinogenic gases throughout the city. The whole place will be quarantined and we'll be there to pick up the scraps of what's left behind." Gaslight explained then, motioning towards the tubes.

"And we've got a solar energy shield to protect it in case an Immortal or any other poor soul tries to defuse it."

Viggo nodded at that. "While you work on getting it up, Johann and Ryker will go take care of the Immortals. No doubt they'll be coming soon."

"How do you know that?" Asked a voice, Ryker finally walked into the room. He donned an armored redand silver suit with plating on his chest, shoulders, back, legs and gloves.

"Hotstreak's tracker signal was disrupted. Most likely been found. They'll be here." Was his brother's response, Ryker chuckling as he lifted up a strange looking rocket launcher.

"They'll be in for quite the surprise then." He exclaimed.

"Indeed they will. As for me, I'll be with our guest." Viggo confirmed as he walked off to head into the next room. He stopped near the doorway as an alarm went off.

"They're here." He said, not even turning to watch as everyone prepared for the ensuing battle.

Johann lept into the cockpit of the new suit- his regular back attachment connecting with the interior to proper lock him in as the plexiglass cover came down.

Ryker looked at him for a moment before they made their way towards the door.

Outside

"This is the place." Stormfly confirmed as they approached. It was a simple warehouse, though a bit on the large side. They had no idea what was brewing beyond its doors.

As she moved towards the front door, she found herself being flung back by a sudden concussive force- the same force tearing through the front wall and sending debris flying with her.

As she slid across the street and into a car, the others took up their own battle stances. They looked in shock as Johann walked out in his mech, Ryker at his side with the launcher.

"Hello Immortals!" Johann sneered

"And goodbye!" Ryker shouted as he opened fire, a burst of yellow energy ripping out of the barrel and heading towards Nightlight. He sent a burst of energy of his own towards it, the two colliding in the air and dissipating.

"New toys. They look weak." Nightlight commented as he opened fire with a ray of radioactive energy towards Johann, who raised up a hand to block it. Much to the Immortals' chagrin, it was working quite well.

The same energy was soon redirected towards them in a wave, sending most of them back save for Nightlight who simply reabsorbed it and took flight.

He flew straight towards the mechanized man then, a blur of green to everyone but Typhoon.

His plan had been to increase his own body temperature and melt clean through the suit's right arm- but that plan was immediately labeled a failure.

Johann's arm shot out and gripped him by the waste, soon applying a great deal of pressure even as he poured on the radioactive heat.

Eret's eyes flashed with fear for a moment as he looked into the Trader's eyes, the opposer merely laughing from behind his shielding.

"FLYING DRAGON FIST!!" Came the shout that drew the attention of everyone in the city street- people barely having time to react (save for Cami) as a black and blue blur launched across their heads and collided with the side of Johann's suit, tearing through its chassis and left leg like it was paper. The suit clattered down almost instantly and dropped to the ground, leaving Johann to struggle to free himself.

As he did so, a black boot planted itself on top of the downed armor, everyone's eyes panning up from the dark blue sole, to the black material and dark blue lines that ran around the boot's ankles. From there they saw the skintight dark blue nomex pants that fit the man's form, black leather lines running just above the knees to wrap around each leg. A gray utility belt wrapped the man's frame as well, though it only had about four pouches.

Upwards, they saw the black slim fitting top- complete with ultra lite and thin armored plating beneath the nomex fibers, giving off a safe yet maneuverable look to the suit, black gloves with blue knuckle plates and dark blue fiber palms,blue clips holding a black and blue cape in place.

And finally, their eyes rested on the green lensed black cowl upon his head. It was more fitting than his previous ones, seemingly as normal as a simple mask- though it was reinforced by a thin yet strong layer of steel-alloy and left his mouth and chin barren.

"You guys looked like you could use a hand." The modulated voice of the Night Fury called over to the Immortals.

 ** _Well there's part one of the Arc Two Finale. Hopefully you're enjoying it so far, and hopefully it's as compelling as I tried to make it. If not...eh... leave some good receivers and keep looking out for the final chapter of Arc 2. It'll be coming soon...maybe...possibly...idk. But as always, thanks_**

 ** _For reading!!_**


	20. Arc 2: The End Part 2

"Well it's about damn time." Nightmare commented beneath his helmet as he laid eyes upon his cousin. "Things are getting really fucking ugly out here." He said then, watching as Night Fury stepped down from atop the downed Trader.

"You're not gonna make fun of my new suit?" Night Fury asked then, Nightmare cocking his head to the side.

"I just did." Was his response, a smile coming upon the dark clad Fury's face. He gave a nod then as he moved to draw a new bo staff.

"I missed this." He said, being pushed back by the sudden impact of Stormfly latching onto him. He hugged her back immediately and whispered into her ear. "Sorry I'm late."

"Don't worry about it." She said , then pushed him aside as a blast of energy ripped past their heads. Ryker growled lowly as he neared his teeth.

"I'm still here ya know!" He shouted just as the glass cockpit of Johann's suit burst open and the man crawled free, standing tall with his mechanical arms expanding from his back attachment.

"Alright. I just got that toy- and ye're ruined it. Now I'm pissed!!" Johann shouted as he used the mechanical arms to lift himself up into the air a few feet. A moment later, two small launcher attachments arose from the shoulders of the rig and began firing small rockets at the Immortals.

Night Fury turned on his heel then and began to counter, rushing out and grabbing one of the rockets then turning its path back the way it had come. There were still three more flying free, two of which he grabbed in a swift and barely seen motion, then thrust back the opposite way.

The last rocket was caught by Typhoon, who did the same. As the rockets rushed back towards the villains, they lept out of way just in time to avoid the blast. Johann engaged his concussive gauntlets and locked his sights onto Typhoon and Night Fury, opening fire with a burst of blue energy.

The burst went avoided with ease as Typhoon swooped the Night Fury out of the way, leaving a small crater behind. The crackling of lightning drew his attention next and be narrowly dodged an oncoming bolt from Stormfly.

He did find himself being forced forward by a powerful kick to the back, turning to see Fanghook glowering at him.

"You!" He shouted upon seeing the young man, sending a barrage of concussive blasts his way. Fanghook weaved his way through each one with a smirk upon his face as he drew his escrima sticks while flipping out of each blast's path. He was wasting no more time with The Trader.

He noticed the man's suit had gained a new function- a cold down mode. He definitely needed it after their last meeting. This was also the perfect opportunity. As the gauntlets went into cool down, Fanghook launched an escrima stick towards the man's plexiglass helmet, causing it to crack upon impact and then bounce onto the ground.

"You little twerp!" Trader had shouted as he went to his feet and began to swing the mechanical arms towards the young hero, who dove over the first one and lept onto the second.

"I'm gonna be honest with ya Johann...you're lightweight." Fanghook said as he climbed onto the back of the man's rig and rammed his other escrima stick into the back of it.

He felt Johann stumbling around whilst trying to reach for him and grabbed one of the man's arms, pinning it against the rig before forcing it upwards in a swift motion, dislocating it.

"Gah!!" Johann had shouted, the sounds of Ryker struggling with the other Immortals being drowned out by the pain arising in his arm. He turned his head and watched as Ryker was thrown down before his feet and bound with cables, before dropping to a knee just as his rig shut down.

"No….not again." He said silently as he grabbed onto his now limp arm.

"It's best to take you guys out one by one rather than all at once." Night Fury noted as he walked over, delivering a swift kick to the man's chest to send him onto his back. With his suit shut down, getting up from this position without help would be impossible. So he struggled there, like a downed turtle while shouting obscenities.

"Well that was easy." Stormfly commented with a shrug of her left shoulder as the group's eyes traveled towards the warehouse.

"Yup...too easy." Was Nightlight's response as he and Stormfly took off towards the building, Night Fury following behind with Fanghook, Nightmare and Typhoon.

"I called the Twins for back-up." Stormfly said as they entered the building, finding it dimly much to their surprise. "But after that, we might not need em."

"I wouldn't be so sure." Called a voice, a sudden burst of energy rippling by to take Stormfly out of the air and onto the floor.

Blackout and Gaslight made their presence known then, the other man sending a ball of green gas towards the group.

"Getting real fucking sick of gas attacks.." Nightmare said with a growl as the rebreather function of his helmet activated. He set his sights on the two and rushed towards them, opening fire with no second thoughts.

"Nightmare wait!" Came the call of the Night Fury behind him. The shout went on to be ignored as the first round of shots went towards them- Blackout unveiling a solar energy shield from his hands to block them.

As the shield was brought down, so was Nightmare's foot onto the man's chest. This sent Blackout to the floor instantly, with Gaslight backing up.

"Easy there." The villain said upon seeing how serious the man was. Nightmare prepped his handgun for another shot, but found his firing arm (right arm) being clamped by some metallic device.

"Huh. Didn't think that'd work." Gaslight said with a chuckle as he saw the metallic attachment that shot from the floor firmly wrapping itself around Nightmare.

"Viggo's smart, knew you'd rush in. Made sure we were posted up right here for that trap to snag ya!" Blackout said as he finally arose to his feet to shoot a glare towards the trapped man.

"Let him go!" Shouted Nightlight as he readied an attack- but stopped upon seeing a controller in Gaslight's hand.

"Let's not be hasty...let's play a game instead." The man said with a gloved finger pointing towards the struggling Nightmare.

"Now then- there's a bomb inside of the Archipelago Credit Union. You'd be smart to go find it." He said, a finger dancing over the trigger,

"But! There's more…" Blackout said with a smirk as his eyes panned over to the controller. "You can go and save those people, or you can save your friend here."

"And what would stop us from doing both? I could take you both out before you could blink." Typhoon said, her eyes widening a bit as the man's finger applied the slightest bit of pressure to the trigger.

"Because this is on a dead man's trigger. If I move my finger, Nightmare here gets blown to pieces right before your eyes." He explained- much to their dismay. "And it's got one helluva range."

The Immortals were at a standstill there, with Nightmare grunting slightly as the device tightened around his upper arm. He bit his tongue slightly and fast a glance to the villains. {They actually thought this out….well almost. They didn't count on catching specifically me!} he'd thought, an idea coming to mind.

"How bout this?" He began, everyone's attention turning towards him as he reached behind his back and drew his sword- pointing it towards Gaslight.

"They go get the bomb… and I take you clowns out myself." He said, the men lifting and eyebrow in confusion.

"And how do you plan to do that stationary?" Blackout asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

Nightmare gave a smirk from beneath his helmet at that question, brandishing the sword then, "Who said I'd be stationary?" He asked. The next motion was so swift that the men had no time to grasp what had happened. By then he was suddenly sprung free with a large grunt and a spray of blood.

He leapt onto Blackout, and wasted no time in driving his sword through the man's chest. As the villain's eyes fluttered, they stared in shock before finally closing.

"No!!" Gaslight shouted as he looked to Nightmare, finally moving his finger from the button.

"Shit!" Typhoon said as she took off in a blur, the other Immortals rushing towards Gaslight then. They were all taken aback by Nightmare's sudden freedom, and his method of getting free concerned them more than Gaslight ever could.

Nightmare moved before the villain, firing off three swift and unforgiving rounds into the man's body- chest, rib cage and head. He dropped to the floor in a heap, the clatter of the trigger following soon after.

Night Fury approached Nightmare first, testing Hud cape off of his back and wrapping it around the man's arm.

"What the fuck were you thinking?!" He asked then, watching as his cousins looked to him and shrugged.

"I thought , this will be badass. Painful, but badass!"

The other Immortals were left in shock at his actions, and turned towards the metallic trap that has ensnared him. Laying next to it was his now severed arm.

The splatters of blood leading up to the puddle beneath it were enough alone to turn someone's stomach. Having to witness something like this firsthand was even worse, especially for Gustav who'd turned away to avoid vomiting at the sight.

"What the hell?" He questioned said he tried not to lose his mind over it. He cast a glance at Nightmare, who seemingly didn't care for the situation. Night Fury worked to get the injured man away from the scene with help from Nightlight and Stormfly. And at that moment, Fanghook wondered just how deep this had gotten.

——

Cami's mind raced at the same pace as her feet as she approached the Union, rounding a corner rather gracefully before launching herself through the nearest entrance- that being a window on the side of the building. She slid to a stop and looked around the immediate area, finding the bomb already taking effect on the area. The ceiling was coming down , with bits of rubble and debris littering the floor and endangering the people within.

She wasted no time in taking a runner's stance, the sounds of Forever Young by Tiffany soon filling her ears to help her focus on the situation and just this situation.

Let's dance in style, lets dance for a while

Heaven can wait we're only watching the skies

Hoping for the best but expecting the worst

Are you going to drop the bomb or not?

Cami's movements were swifter than ever before, her eyes adjusting to the new speed enhancement rather quickly. She took off into the fray without a moment of hesitation, grabbing onto the first civilian she saw and lifting him off his feet with a single hand before going to grab the woman that was on the floor beside him.

Let us die young or let us live forever

We don't have the power but we never say never

Sitting in a sandpit, life is a short trip

The music's for the sad men

She carried both of them out into the city streets and made her return, brushing aside a stray piece of shrapnel that was near her face. The pieces seemed to move at a snail's pace despite the blast propelling them- something she took great pride in.

Can you imagine when this race is won

Turn our golden faces into the sun

Praising our leaders we're getting in tune

The music's played by the madman

Her next trip into the building took her back to the same floor, where she decided that merely carrying everyone out wouldn't be enough. She looked around and found a window nearby, already shattered from the shockwave. A smirk came upon her face as she raced over and searched for some form of cushioning. Finding none, the woman left the building and returned a moment later with two mattresses.

Forever young, I want to be forever young

Do you really want to live forever, forever and ever young.

She rushed over to two more people and wrapped a mattress around each one of them, then angled their bodies so that they'd land on their backs. Cami then pushed the two out of the shattered window and aimed them towards the ground a few feet away, using her abilities to increase their own kinetic energy fields to lessen the blow from their landing.

Some are like water, some are like the heat

Some are a melody and some are the beat

Sooner or later they all will be gone

Why don't they stay young

She circled around the room then, pausing as she found a woman reaching out to her child. Scooping up the child beneath her right arm, she then grabbed the woman by her torso and raced out of the window and into the streets, setting them both down beside an awaiting officer. It was amazing how similar everyone was to a statue at that moment.

It's so hard to get old without a cause

I don't want to perish like a fading horse

Youth is like diamonds in the sun

And diamonds are forever

She ducked her head under the broken glass upon re-entry through the window, then moved on to lift up a large bit of rubble that had fallen upon three people. The next few movements involved her rushing them all off to the nearest paramedic, which had been stationed just outside the building.

She gave a smile at her work- every area of the building had been cleared out by now. So she slid back outside and took a good few feet to stand and watch as the explosion finished. It was then she moved to grab any debris and shrapnel that rushed out of the blast, gathering it all into her arms and setting it down to assure it didn't harm anyone else.

Time seemed to move back to a normal pace in her perspective, and she turned towards the group of people she'd saved. They looked disheveled to say the least, but she could tell they were grateful for her work.

She gave the bow forming crowd a quick glance before moving away from the scene- focused on her return to her friends' side.

——

"Congrats, you just benched yourself." Night Fury commented as he finished wrapping his cape around Nightmare's shoulder to stop the bleeding. The Twins has finally arrived and made an entrance- wearing the same suits they had the last time they'd faced Viggo's gang- thought Tuff wore a skull themed helmet with three large green spikes on the head rather than a mask.

"Someone call for trouble?" Barf asked

"And did they make it a double?" Belch carried on, much to everyone's annoyance.

"Just come on. We're gonna need you guys now that Snot's out of commission."

"Out of commission? The Snotman's never out of commission." Came the abrupt response as Nightmare moved towards them. He stumbled though, and soon found himself falling to one knee.

"Okay, maybe this time I can ride bench...this time."

"Yeah, no shit." Commented Nightlight as he dispersed a minor burst of energy throughout the area. The burst spread over everyone present but served no danger of harm. "Picking up three heat signatures from the back of the warehouse." He said as he turned back to everyone else.

"Three? Viggo, Throk- who could the third be?" Astrid asked as she began to walk past the radioactive man. Her eyes glowed white for a moment - then a swift wind rushed through the outside of the building and inside to push against the back of the warehouse. A wall shattered from the sudden force, revealing a small passageway.

"And there we go." She said- Night Fury approaching with a look of surprise.

"Wow, you guys really have advanced since I took off." He commented then. They didn't linger on the matter- but soon found the blur of color known as Typhoon joining their sides once again.

"Saved everyone at the Union." She said, much to the relief of everyone present.

"Good. Then let's finish this." Night Fury said as he entered the passage with no hesitation, the others following closely behind.

The path was dark- the only light they'd had coming from the palms of Nightlight's and surprisingly Night Fury's hands. As they reached the bottom of the passage- they found themselves in front of a metal door.

"Might be locked." Stormfly commented from behind him, causing Night Fury to smirk.

"I've got a key." He said before plunging his already lit hand outwards and smashing the door right off of its hinges and onto the floor. They found it then, a room built as some sort of lab. And in the center of it was a glass containment unit, complete with a metallic bed that had loosened shackles.

"No one's here….think they took off?" Nightlight asked as he looked over the area with a grimace. The lab was empty, though he could feel bits of heat emanating off of certain items- showing that they'd recently been used.

"Must have heard us upstairs." Nightmare said as he staggered into the lab, resting his hand upon the wall beside the door for stabilization. He soon found Belch stepping to his side to aid him in getting up straight.

"Or it could be a trap." Night Fury said as he took to analyzing the containment chamber. Using his mask, he'd found a large heat signature once rested here- restrained but still leaving a good bit of resonance. "Throk was here…"

10 Years Ago

Most nine year olds live their lives in peace- with either their mom or dad or both. Mala Grimborn wasn't so lucky. She had her father, that much was true. But her life was all but peaceful. It seemed that from the second she could walk she was being taught to fight- each lesson more painful than the last.

"Watch your opponent's movements closely." Come the harsh voice as another fist swung towards her face, leading her to duck and go for a leg sweep.

This maneuver failed as she soon found her opponent leaping over he leg and bringing a palm down to her face, drawing a bit of blood from her nose upon impact. She turned and wiped the substance away before spinning onto her back and eventually launching back to her feet, taking a defensive stance.

"Careful , Mala. Don't wanna lose focus." Viggo said as he looked over at her from his position, then lept towards her- ailing another punch towards her stomach.

It was a simple move, bringing a forearm down to block the fist before bringing up her other arm to attempt a punch. The punch failed as her fist was caught by his hand- though she found herself smirking as she leapt upwards you deliver a swift kick across his face. This took him off guard and gave her an opportunity to capitalize, following up with a knee to the stomach.

It took a good bit of force to get the man known as Viggo Grimborn off guard, and this was definitely it. She finished the move set by framing her elbow into the center of his spine. He fell to the floor on his hands and knees- releasing an abrupt groan before moving back to his feet.

"Excellent job." He said, looking down to her with a smirk. "You're improving greatly." He rested a hand on the center of the blonde child's head, then turned as his ears picked up on the sound of his phone ringing from across the room.

"It seems work calls." He said, leaving her there. Mala watched his fleeting form, the proud smile she wore soon darkening to a scowl. That one moment of recognition meant nothing- equaled in no way to the years of emotional and physical torment she'd endured with her father. Though it did pride her to know that a nine year old had managed to take down the great Viggo Grimborn.

Their lessons carried on throughout the years- each one soon growing in ferocity. She still recalled the task she'd been given at the age of fourteen- breaking into an enemy kingpin's home and silencing the man once and for all.

It wasn't the first time she'd cried- and surely wouldn't be the last. She struggled at first to wash the man's blood from her hands while glaring into her own reflection. He'd assured her that it was simply a matter of business, that she had to do it.

She never had a friend, or anyone who would care or listen. She always had her father. Her psychotic, abusive, cynical father. He always said she didn't need friends, didn't need public schooling either. She believed it too- even to the age of nineteen. But once this mission came up, this mission based on entering a school and betraying a newcomer, she knew she'd have a chance.

And she took it- finally finding something other than pain for once in her life. She found peace, in the arms of a darker haired clone. She found friendship with a shorter black haired boy. She felt that, for once, she actually had a family.

And now her father wanted to take that too…

……….

She watched as he worked to set up. As soon as he'd heard the Immortals enter he'd began to move everything out- including his prisoner. Her eyes locked on Throk's now sleeping form as he lay restrained by thick chains in the back of the armored vehicle.

It was quite spacious, as it was a stolen LMTV- she hadn't asked how he'd acquired the blacked out vehicle. She had her thoughts however.

They were in an empty parking lot now with several metallic wires running to the back of the vehicle- each one attached to a strange power node on Throk's body. She didn't know exactly what his plans for her boyfriend were, but she definitely didn't like it.

Her eyes cut across to her father who stood on the ground outside, fiddling with some sort of console. Everything seemingly had been set up ahead of time. He really had thought it all out. So far atleast.

She dropped down from the back of the vehicle and looked at him with bewilderment, her eyes settling on the strange metallic disk that rested on his chest.

"What is this?" She asked finally, Viggo turning to face her.

"This is a power transference rig." Was his response- abrupt and cold. He obviously had no intent on explaining very much to her. She brushed it off then and walked off to the driver's side of the vehicle, pulling out her minicomputer and typing away.

Hideout

"I'm not finding any leads here." Fanghook said with a sigh as he and Night Fury searched through the computers that Viggo had left behind.

"Me ei-wait. There's a transmission coming through." Night Fury said as he accepted the new bit of information. "Coordinates..,from someone codenamed Sleuther." He said as he looked to everyone else.

"They're near the pier."

—-

Viggo smirked as he finished up the initial setup of the device, and looked to Throk for a moment. "Get ready creature. You're about to help me go global." He said, before finally flipping a switch.

"Grimborn!!!" Came the shout, Viggo turning to meet the eyes of Night Fury and his Immortal comrades.

"You're all here...that's a surprise.Though I do wonder how you found me so soon." He said , not moving from the panel for even a moment.

"That would be me." Came Mala's voice, causing Viggo to look to her with actual betrayal.

"You? You're betraying me?" He asked, a hand reaching back towards the hilt of his sword. The other Immortals looked on in shock at who appeared, but none more than Gustav.

"Mala?!? You work for Viggo?!" The young man asked as he balled up his fists in anger.

"I'm his daughter. And I'm tired of doing his dirty work." She said while drawing her own weapon, a pair of black blades tanto swords.

"Sad Mala...I don't think you realize just how much you've hurt me." Came Viggo as he fully drew his weapon.

"I don't think you realize just how little I give a fuck." She said then, her gaze upon the man who'd robbed her of an actual life hardening further. "I never had friends, never had an actual family. I had you- you and your cruel intentions and ulterior motives. I refuse to let you take away the only person who's cared- I will not let you hurt my boyfriend ever again."

He gave out a cold chuckle at that, and shook his head. "You actually care for that thing." He said, his sword pointing towards the bound clone in the back of the LMTV.

"That 'thing' is more human than you'll ever be." She replied, then took off running towards him. A quick swing of her right blade and he went into a duck, then found her other blade coming down towards the back of his neck.

A leg sweep cut that move short, but she rebounded from it much quicker than expected and drove her foot towards him. He caught it, but was surprised to find her other foot meeting the side of his face and taking him off balance. Mala took that chance then and tackled him to the ground, attempting to drive her right blade into his throat- a missed attack.

Viggo grabbed the base of her wrist and then grabbed at her throat before head butting her to gain the advantage. This drove her back into a stumble, which he used to kick her to the ground.

"Let's not be hasty." He said as he pointed his blade towards her. "You always were my greatest weapon...my pride and joy. But you were always hesitant Mala, and that made you weak." He began, swiping away both blades from her hands. "But one thing is right...you're alone. You always have been, and you always will be." He said, moving to force his blade through her chest.

But it was halted as the sword went flying away, thanks to a ball of blue energy.

"She's not alone anymore." Night Fury said as he rushed over in a blur of black and blue, sending a sharp punch to the side of his head.

Viggo was sent to the ground with that attack, and looked up in shock as Night Fury helped Mala to her feet.

"We'll handle him together. Immortals- free Throk and provide back-up if needed. But for now, he's ours." Night Fury said as he turned his gaze towards Viggo, He and Mala both taking up stances.

"You're going to regret this dearly." The man said, tapping the center of his chest rig. A moment or so later, his body began to shake slightly before finally erupting with a ball of flames.

"What the hell?" Mala asked as Night Fury looked from the rig to Throk,

"He's drawing power from a Throk!" He said.

"Clever boy." Viggo chuckled as he launched himself at the Night Fury- the two men coming to a standoff as he blocked his attack. "Seems we've both got a power boost here." He said, increasing the temperature of the flames he had been emitting to try to burn through the Night Fury's gauntlets.

"Watch the suit." Night Fury said as he drove his knee into the man's stomach, Mala then kicking him in the throat to throw him off guard.

"Flank him." Mala said as Night Fury nodded and took to Viggo's left side- Mala to the right.

It wasn't easy taking on both of them at once- two highly experienced fighters, but he was managing. Weaving his way through almost every punch and kick being sent towards him, he ultimately opted for a temporary stun.

A burst of heat released from his body and forced the two of them back, Viggo standing over them with his entire body encompassed in flames.

"Let's try that again shall we?" He asked as he launched a ray of fire towards Mala- who was scooped up out of the way by Night Fury.

"Thanks." She said, Night Fury giving a nod as he looked just past Viggo's shoulder.

"Let's not." He replied, watching as Viggo's eyes widened. The power to his rig had begun to shut down and the flames died out. He turned back to watch as the other Immortals smiled and waved from the LMTV- Throk now being free and glaring at him.

"I usually believe in fair fights. But for someone as cruel as you….Immortals…jump him." Night Fury called, everyone present leaping towards the man.

Stormfly struck first, using her weather bending capabilities to summon up a burst of snow that buried the man up to his waste. Nightlight came next and fired off a ray of energy to propel him towards Fanghook. Fanghook sent a swift kick to the man's face and brought him to the ground, but the attack didn't end there. Soon the Twins later onto him with various punches and kicks to his midriff- then cleared out just as a blur of color ran around the man and uplifted him in a wind funnel.

Typhoon sped to a stop with a smirk as a bolt of lightning from Stormfly cane through to finish it off- barreling Viggo into the ground.

The Immortals stood around the downed villain with smiles, Night Fury kneeling to meet his eye.

"Checkmate." He said, just as Viggo pulled something from his belt. He sent a sharp punch to the man's face- backed by a blue flamed hand.

"Well that was fun." Came Eret as he clasped Throk on the back. "Now let's get out of here."

"Wait!" Came Mala's voice, everyone turning towards her. "There's a chemical bomb back at my father's lab. It needs to be dismantled..,and he left something for you too Hiccup." She said, all eyes settling on him.

——-

Disarming the bomb was incredibly easy- took no time. Finding the gift that Viggo had left behind was a bit hard as Mala hadn't know it's exact location, but soon they uncovered it and found it to be a black flash drive. After their criminal bust, they saw too it that Viggo and his group were taken in. And then, they retreated to their new hideout- Fishlegs' apartment.

He sat at the computer in Fishlegs' currently crowded apartment with a bead of sweat running down his face. What the hell had Viggo done as his final act before his incarceration? What lied on this flash drive that was so important? It seemed everyone wanted to know, as they stopped eating to crowd around him and stared at the computer, anxiously awaiting what came next.

"It's a video." He said as he pulled the file from the USB and onto the computer's media player. It took a moment, but soon the video began to play through.

Mala, who stood beside Throk and Gustav in the back, looked on with a bit of anger as her father's face finally appeared on the screen- in a dimly lit office.

"If you're seeing this, it means I'm either dead or finally been captured. If either of these are the case- I believe I have to get something off my chest." The man began, Hiccup biting his tongue gently.

"I'll cut through the pleasantries and spare all the boring details to say this- I hate the Haddock family. Their riches, their prosperity, it all sickens me. I wanted to cripple that family, and felt it best to start at the bottom." Astrid was on the edge of her feet as she glared into the screen, a hand running through Hiccup's hair to keep him calm.

"So I went after Henry Haddock first. Detective Haddock was a good man, I'll admit that much. Record cleaner than One forged by the Gods themselves. So I knew I'd have to dig deep to nail him." He paused for a moment to shuffle slightly in his seat. "What better way to do that than framing him for murder?" He asked, everyone's eyes shooting open.

"Henry Haddock wasn't the man that committed all those crimes. I am. They were all people I've dealt with before, loose ends if you will. Felt it best to knock out two birds with one stone. So I stole some of the man's Fingerprints and acquired a few hair samples, then left them at the crime scenes."

Hiccup fist clenched tight, to the point where it hurt to strain them any further. "That bastard.."

"For further proof of my involvement in these crimes, I've left a good deal of untampered evidence and photographs of the scenes at the following address. Five seven seven Wilson Way." Viggo said , the Immortals looking to one another before returning to the screen.

"With that being said, I've done all I needed to do. Hopefully I managed to give Mister Haddock a run for his money with this little prank. We'll see. That's all I have for you, good day." He finally said, the camera shutting off right before their eyes. The black screen that was left reflected their awestruck faces as each of them tried to grip what just happened.

"It was him?!" Tuff shouted finally, followed by Eret calling.

"And he...gave himself up? Why?"

"Because….I won the game." Hiccup said, turning to face all of them. His eyes shot from the group then over to a picture that rested on Fishlegs' shelf nearby. It was an image of several pre-teens, around age thirteen. One with auburn hair stood off to the right side as a stocky black haired one held him in a headlock. Though neither looked distressed and simply were laughing. A blonde haired short girl looked at them with a smile as a chubby blonde haired boy looked concerned.

And beside them all was a raven haired girl who was rolling her eyes at the display. Hiccup locked onto Heather's face in the picture, a tear rolling down soon. "But at what cost?"

——

The Night Fury was out and about once again, the flash drive having been tucked firmly into one of his belt pouches for safe keeping. He wasn't hesitant in a single movement he made, leaping and tumbling over rooftops and cables with finesse as he rushed through the city.

He was a man on a mission, one final mission before he could finally give a sigh of relief for the night. His grapnel was struck out soon and fired off with a shink, latching onto a rooftop across the way. Swinging off and on that roof, he landed on one knee and looked up to the man that stood there, waiting.

"Nice entrance." The Commissioner said as he put out his cigar and walked towards the Night Fury.

"You're back again? Figured after the big Viggo bust you'd take the rest of the night off." He said, watching as the Night Fury drew out the flash drive.

"Had one more mission. Viggo left this behind, and it's pretty important if you ask me." He said, placing the drive into the man's hand.

"I recommend watching it as soon as you can...you need to see this." He said, eyes casting aside to avoid the man's bewildered gaze.

Finally, Commissioner Juan's hand closed around the flash drive and he gave a smirk. "What is it?"

"It's clearance...something that'll help someone who's had one hell of a year." Was all he said in response as he turned and stepped onto the edge of the roof, then dropped down without a second thought or even another word.

The Commissioner chuckled slightly at the antic, and merely turned to walk back into the building. "This city's got some weird tenants."

———

The doors to the new base pushed open with a soft thump as Hiccup, Cami and Eret stepped in. "This is it." Hiccup said with a smile.

"Dude ...is this-" Eret asked, his eyes wide as he adjusted the right sleeve of his dark brown vegan leather jacket.

"The Thunderdome. Yup. But it's not the primary one." Hiccup said, bringing a look of confusion to Eret's face.

"His dad has multiple Thunderdomes set up around Berk and other cities." Cami explained as she pinched Eret's cheek gently.

The man gave a nod as Hiccup walked towards the center flooring panel, which currently held a symbol of a green Viking helmet. "Yup. And he was more than willing to give one up for us." He said with a smile as he looked at them.

"So...you ready to get to work?" He asked. Eret smiles as he draped an arm around Cami and pulled her close, giving a thumbs up in response.

Cami giggled slightly before looking at her long time friend. "Always."

Hiccup smirked at the response. "Then let's get the Immortal Edge up and running."

"Immortal Edge? That's what we're calling it?" Cami asked then, Hiccup giving a shrug in response.

"Immortal Cave sounded kinda lame."

—-

Physical therapy was boring. Rehab was even more boring. But he'd made it three the five week dual course with ease, his mind wasn't hooked on that damn needle. He'd admit he hated being asked to go, but he was grateful to know how much they cared.

Now he sat there in that white office, listening to Gobber drone on and on. "Gobber I get it. Regulate the power, don't let my other arm get bigger than this one, wear gloves and long sleeves when in public- can I just get the damn thing already?" He asked, having finally gotten impatient during the briefing.

The cybernetically enhanced veteran gave a roll of his eyes as he listened to Scott, moving from his chair to walk towards a closet nearby. "Ye and yer cousin's attitudes are very hard to work wit sometimes, I swear." The man said as he drew out a large metal box.

He placed it down onto the table and popped open its lock, then pushed it open. "So, Whaddya think?" He asks as Scott approaches- his eyes staring like they'd just struck gold.

"It's...perfect." Was his response. In the box, surrounded by a black foam like material- was a silver and gray cybernetic arm.

He looked to the stump that used to be his right arm and back to the new addition with a smirk. "Does it come in black?"

"No."

"Oh."

———

There they were- the Immortals. Sitting at their new table, in their new underground base and watching the latest news broadcast. There were more chairs and a bigger table now, with the Terror Twins sitting in two chairs.

Astrid's eyes flicked over her friends and over to the blonde that sat across from her. It used to be Heather- sitting there in her Windshear uniform and waiting for another call to arms. But now it was Mala, whose heart had been filled with dread after playing a role in the Immortal's downfall.

She was forgiven by everyone, even Scott. But she still felt a great sense of dread. That sense was lifted greatly when she was pulled aside by Scott and Hiccup, both men having had their doubts about her. But in the past five weeks since her father's downfall, and her assistance in bringing him down- she's shown that she has the heart for this.

So, with not even an ounce of regret- they presented her with a suit. It was primarily gray, a one piece suit with a back zipper that was covered by two metallic scale-like wings- that shot straight down.

The gloves were a grayish-blue color, as was the mask and the boots. There was a silver symbol of a dragon's head upon the chest, and a black utility belt. And over her head, she wore a hood.

On her belt was a specially made whip, with a razor attachment on the other side.

Astrid smiles softly as the other blonde's eyes met her own. "You look good." She said.

Mala bit her tongue gently before responding. "I feel like a fraud." She admitted, everyone around her soon looked to her.

"Don't...you didn't kill her. You didn't even know your father had done so- and when you found out you tried to defect. Heather would've done the same." Hiccup said as Scott lifted a, now robotic,finger.

"It's true. She always had that fire. That determination- and we see it in you too. I've known Heather most of my life, I loved her and partnered with her for years..she would've wanted you to be the next Windshear even if she were still here." He said, a hint of sadness to his voice.

He too wore a new suit- quite different from his previous one, it was red and black, a black top with a red left sleeve that ended at his wrist and red bottoms- the chest and torso were black and carried a red monstrous nightmare head design across from his sternum down to the end of his abs.

The right arm had no sleeve, and showed off his new mechanical arm to the entire world. He carried his old katana and semi-automatic on his back still, his handguns holstered on his sides. And on his right thigh was a Bowie knife.

The most noticeable change was the decision to get rid of his helmet and replace it with a metallic red and black mask- the mask covering his entire face and having two points that went just over his hairline (similar to Hawkeye's pointed mask- minus the hair being covered).

It too carried a dragon design, as the red opened up to reveal black over the mouth- and red teeth too. It was held by four clips that connected to the back of his mask.

"You're Windshear now kid...and you're an Immortal." He confirmed, a smirk arising beneath his mask.

Mala looked at him with a genuine look of content from behind her eye mask and smiled. "Thank you...I'll do my best to honor her memory." She said, looking to Hiccup then.

"We know you will." He said, then turned to face the monitor as the alarm on his phone went off. "Alright, news time." He said as he flicked on the monitor and waited.

The usual silver haired reporter came onto the screen then, and began to give out the stories of the day. Not much had happened, and thankfully none of the stories so far had been crime related. But finally it came.

"And our top story for today- new footage from the Kingpin known as Viggo Grimborn reveals a shocking truth. We can't show the full video, but it has been revealed that Detective Henry Haddock, son of Stoick Haddock, was indeed framed for the crimes he'd been accused of last year, by Grimborn himself. Grimborn goes on to explain that he did it to try to break the Haddock family- but failed. Police have uncovered several bits of evidence including photos taken at the crime scene that prove Viggo's story to be true. We go now to the scene in downtown Dragon's Edge, where a press conference is currently being held."

The camera cut from her and went to the town hall, with the mayor of Dragon's Edge giving his piece to the people. "With the information we've uncovered, I'd just like to first and foremost apologize to Mister Haddock, wherever he may be now, for this situation. And I hereby pardon him of it all- and congratulate this young man on his clearance. Dragon's Edge doesn't pride itself on pointing fingers, so I'm thankful we've finally uncovered the truth behind these heinous crimes."

The meeting room was filled with whoops and shouts of joy, a smile planted firmly upon Night Fury's face as he shut off the monitor. "And that's the end of that horrible chapter of my life." He said as he looked to everyone.

It was then that the alarm decided to go off, bringing everyone's attention to it. "Robbery on Main Street." He said before looking to the Immortals.

They sat there for a moment, no one even moving to head out. But then, Windshear stood and began to exit the room before turning back with a smile. "Are we gonna give them a reason to be better people or what?" She asked. That seemed to help, as everyone soon followed suit.

In my time, there were heroes. Some people had the police and the firefighters, of the paramedics. Some had other heroes- like teachers of parents even.

We had all of that too, but along with that we had a bond. We had a family...we had the Immortals.

———-

Location : Unknown

"I don't get it...why the Helheim is he going so far out of his way?!" A female voice asked as she peered out of the windshield of her ship. It was a strawberry blonde haired young woman, hair in a bun and wearing what appeared to be some form of Norse armor.

The armor was gray in color, with bits of gold riddling the torso, and chest. She also wore dark brown leggings and fur wrapped leather boots, though no sleeves ran from the metallic shoulder guards on her armor.

Around her head was a metal band, that shaped her forehead and wrapped all the way around. And beside her control console was an axe, engraved with Norse symbols.

"This is Atali to Minden...still no sign of Grimmel yet...but I've found a potential target."

"And where would that be?" Came a reply over the communication jewel that rested in the console.

"Midgard...I'm on my way now."

————

Aaaaaaand we're out. Man that was fun to write- although a bit nerve wracking at times. But still, I loved it. Thank you to everyone who's stuck around so far- especially to the users : CajunBear73, Althea Sirius and Scrumblenut. It's people like you that keep me going, even through my worst times.

I don't have an ETA for Arc three yet, but I will be working on it. For now just stay cool, and please keep reading. Thanks everyone!


	21. Arc 3: The Warrior

Atali had spent most of her life in the battlefield. From the moment she could walk she was training herself in the art of combat- her primary weapon being a spear. But as she grew older, and time went on, she found that certain other weapons would be best. She never expected to find herself right in the middle of Muspelheim as it raged with a war.

Atali was a special breed- an Asgardian. She was assigned to a team known as the Wingmaidens- all dedicated to protecting the small planet known as The Hidden World. This planet was inhabited by an ancient species, one whose presence has been so removed from Midgard that they believe them to be all dead.

But they are alive, and thriving here. Through green plains and waterfalls of crystal clear- they live in a similar atmosphere to their original home. These are dragons, and they are under the protection of some of Asgard's finest warriors. Atali prided herself on caring for the dragons, and in defending them by any means necessary.

This was a task assigned to her by Freya herself, and it was a task that she refused to fail in. The more time she spent around them, the more she grew to love them.

So when a ring of fire opened up in the center of a plain on the World, her and her wingmaidens all took to their weapons and prepared for the worst.

It started off with one fire demon, standing at about 7 feet tall and glaring down at them, but he was mowed down with ease. Then came about twelve more, then twenty, and then thirty.

The numbers seemed to multiply, much to the Wingmaidens' annoyance. Until they took the battle to them. During the fray on the Hidden World, the demons had managed to fatally injure and kill a few dragons. That alone was grounds for a home invasion to the Wingmaidens.

And so Nadia, the group's magic wielder, opened up a portal to the realm of the fire demons. And there they were- Atali leading the charge against the demonic beings as they sought answers to the sudden attack.

It was there she found herself face to face with Surtur himself- glaring daggers at the King of Muspelheim.

"Why have you brought a war upon my land?!" The demon asked as he lifted a sword of flames- slamming it down into the ground with a crash of flames escaping the blade.

"I should ask you the same, Surtur." Atali replied as she raised her axe in defense. The axe, named as Soulstar, was a gift from Freya and her husband Óòr- given upon her first day as the Wingmaidens' leader. The axe was capable of granting its wielder the blessing of Freja- this increasing their durability tenfold and allowing them access to a well of energy that flowed from Fólkvangr. It also projected that energy in bursts, blasts and shields, could be used as a blunt instrument or a sharp blade and was capable of returning to her hand when thrown.

Perhaps the greatest feature of the weapon was it's access to the spirits that dwelled in Fólkvangr. Should Atali ever reach a low point where she or an ally is near death- she can call upon a spirit or several spirits to aide her in battle- whether it be through healing a fatal wound, attacking a powerful enemy or simply giving the woman their powers.

Truly a remarkable weapon- forged from the strongest steel Asgard had to offer- it was nigh indestructible and had the potential power of a nuclear bomb. She never let it leave her side, no matter where she went. And she'd definitely need it for this.

She thrust the weapon outward, a small forcefield forming to shield her from the sudden burst of pure flame that nearly hit her body. As endurable as she was, she'd prefer not to have her armor being heated up further. It was incredibly uncomfortable.

The beam was coming from Surtur's mouth- the horned demon drawing his sword up into both hands before giving a great swing at the woman. He towered over her with ease, standing at a full 10 feet tall- looking down upon her 5'11 form with ease. Atali didn't let this deter her wrath in any way, and merely kept at the demon to avoid the attack and deliver one of her own.

As she neared his head and swung her axe she found herself being flung aside with ease, a fiery hand smacking her aside. As she collided with the ground she slid across it- nearly falling into a puddle of lava nearby. She withdrew her body quickly and turned just in time to roll out of the way of another flame burst.

With a glare sent her way, Surtur raised his left hand, lava dripping from the tips of his fingers. She didn't understand at first, but soon found the ground around her rumbling with such force that it took her off of her feet. She arose quickly, and found the ground around her shifting before latching onto her body.

It shifted more and more before hardening, leaving her left hand free and Soulstar still hanging in it- every other part of her body save for her head covered in hardened brimstone. She looked on as Surtur approached- sliding his sword into a sheathe upon his back and looking at her with a glare. He reached down then, lifting her left hand up and attempting to wiggle her weapon from its grip.

It failed, and she merely chuckled at him. "A lot stronger than I look." She commented as he bared his teeth- staring into her eyes. The grin that rested on her face was enough to insight his rage once again, and he happily struck her with his large fist- leaving a small burn against her cheek. The burn mark faded soon after and the woman spat at him.

"You're trash Surtur." She said, much to his annoyance. He planted his hand on top of her head and began to squeeze with as much force as he could muster- drawing out a pained look from the woman.

"I am a king...I care not for the words of a peasant such as yourself." He said, watching carefully as her face contorted from the squeezing.

Her eyes slammed shut then- bringing a smirk to the Fire Demon's face. "Yes child...feel the burn of a demon's ire. Perhaps this will teach you a lesson."

"It has….its taught me to do this before I get cornered." She replied, eyes opening with a burst of yellow light. Surtur looked on in bewilderment, but soon found the woman's axe slamming into his face and knocking him to the ground.

The weapon slowed its flight and rushed back into her palm, its blade glowing with the same energy. Soon her body fumbled before finally erupting, the same energy breaking her from the hardened rock.

She launched herself into the air then and launched herself onto Surtur, landing on his midriff before driving the energy charged axe into his chest. There was an explosion of energy that spanned a half mile- leaving many onlookers in concern.

The other Wingmaidens- Minden and Nadia dropped their guard to look on, soon beginning to move towards the energy source.

As the dust settled, Atali found herself partly slightly while staring at the broken king. His usually flame emitted body was snuffed, all that was left was a body of brimstone with barely enough flame to light a candle. He stared at her with a look of shock, though showed no fear.

"You've beaten me….I am at your mercy." We're his next words, Atali's axe soon resting upon the gap of his neck.

"Tell me why your army attacked the Hidden World…" she said, Surtur looking up at the sky.

"We had no choice…." He began, her eyebrows lifting in questioning. He soon went on to explain. "We were threatened by a higher power...a man who I couldn't even bring down. Look around you, child." He continued, Atali pausing to look over Muspelheim.

The land was a smaller size than most- fire pits, lava puddles and brimstone riddling everything. "We're a smaller realm, smaller than most...easy to wipe away with the right power...or the right army."

His eyes moved over to the puddle that Atali had almost fallen into earlier. "This man could've done it if he wished...but he spared us and asked a favor instead."

"What favor?" She asked then, her ears peeking up slightly as she heard Minden and Nadia's feet approaching.

"The downfall of the Hidden World...he wanted all of the dragons dead...and he wanted my army to do it." He explained, Atali smirking slightly,

"I suppose he didn't expect a group of warrior women to stop you all?" She asked, Surtur shaking his head.

"It would appear not...though I'm certain he'll return." He went on, lifting himself up slightly despite his wounds. His eyes rested on the Wingmaidens then.

"Hear my words….if you seek to fight this man, you have my army….we will stone for what we've done, and we will make him pay for his threats."

Atali nodded as she placed her axe away, looking to her maidens before returning to the demon king. "We appreciate it ...now tell me please. Who is this man?"

Surtur's eyes narrowed. "He goes by...Grimmel."

……

"Grimmel the Grisly- a known assassin and magic wielder." Nadia explained as they loaded up the Asgardian transport Pod that usually rested near the cove.

Upon finding the man's name, the Wingmaidens made their return to the Hidden World and began to prepare Atali for a search. "He's said to hold teachings from some of the greatest magic wielders, as well as charms from them. Supposedly his body is bonded to the blood of Loki." She went on, Atali stopping to think for a moment.

"I'm gonna have to speak with Mother Freya on this. Perhaps she'll know more." She says, Nadia nodding as she closed her black leather book.

"Be careful sister. You'll alert us if anything goes downwards?" She asks, Atali smiling to both her and Minden who'd mostly remained silent. With a sudden motion, she pulled the two into a hug before releasing

"I'll be alright. Have care with the dragons- and keep them safe while I'm away. Once I've found this Grimmel, I will alert you both." She confirmed, Minden placing a hand onto her shoulder and gripping it gently.

"You'd better. We won't know what to do without you." She said with a smile of her own. Nadia loaded a bit of purple energy into the communication tube in her pod then looked to her with a nod.

"It's all ready...based on what Surtur could show and the magical energy residue left from Grimmel's fight with him, I've managed to find his energy trail. Now you simply trace it down."

"Too easy." Atali responded as she leapt into the pilot's seat, the canopy of the pod soon closing shut. She looked to her sisters with one final smile and wave, her pod lifting off and taking away in a blur.

Her eyes shifted to the radar that sat before her- like a holograph from earth but powered by Asgardian magic. Each pod, ship and cruiser had one, helping its pilot set and find their course. But if needed, such as now, it will find a trail so long as it has the proper magical attachments.

Her smirk couldn't be hidden at Nadia's work. It was a bit complex, but nothing too wild. She truly valued her sisters- their individual mindsets and capabilities were amazing. She knew she could trust this.

And soon, she found it. A new hint of his energies converging to form a portal to another realm. "Midgard?" She asked herself as she saw it.

"I don't get it...why the Helheim is he going so far out of his way?!"

"This is Atali to Minden...still no sign of Grimmel yet...but I've found a potential target."

"And where would that be?" Came a reply over the communication jewel that rested in the console.

"Midgard...I'm on my way now."

Location: Dragon's Edge

Oh how he hated these shifts. The constant annoyance of his shift partner as he tapped a rhythm against the wall with his metal tipped gloves was enough to drive even the calmest man mad. The sounds of the men beyond the door laughing or nerding out over new algorithms and breakthroughs didn't help to ease that feeling in the slightest. The man's eyes ran across the silver tiled floor beneath his feet and over to his shift partner. He was a bit shorter than him, but of a slightly larger build- wearing the same red armor that he had.

Both men wore helmets upon their heads with black plexiglass eyes- that made it damn near impossible to see in the dark he might add. Despite the disadvantages of their uniforms, the suits were pretty durable. He'd give his boss that much. But that didn't mean it wasn't incredibly uncomfortable to wear. He looked to the other man's weapon- an M-16 with a magazine loaded into it- and then back to the floor.

"Jim….why are we here?" He asked finally, the other guard looking to him in bewilderment ( though his face was shrouded by his helmet)

"What uh...what do you mean Phil?" Jim asked.

"Why are we here?! How the hell did we even wind up here?" He asked, being more thorough in his questioning. Jim shrugged at Phil's question.

"Poor life decisions that led us to a weird nerd fest that needed guards?" He asked, watching as Phil nodded and released a sigh,

"I should've stayed in art school." He said before leaning against the wall and allowing his eyes to travel up to the ceiling.

"I agree." Game an obviously disguised voice, Phil turning just in time for his helmet to be punched clean off his head and onto the floor. Before he could recover, he found his mouth being covered by a gloved hand and the side of his neck receiving enough pressure to cause his body to seize up. He looked up while slumping to the floor and met the eyes of Fanghook , who had just finished with Jim, staring down at him.

From there all he saw was the darkness as his eyes slowed shut.

"Thank Odin we stopped them before they started giving their whole backstories. I would've fallen asleep." Fanghook commented as he looked at the metallic door before them, Night Fury reaching down to search the man he'd just taken out.

"Check for any access cards, it'll make entering areas quicker." The older hero said, causing Fanghook to sigh softly before doing the same on the other guard. A moment or so of rummaging through the openings in the man's armor later, he pulled some sort of key card free and tucked it away into one of his belt pouches. "Found one."

"And I make two. Ready to make an entrance?" Night Fury asked with a smirk as Fanghook drew out his escrima sticks and conjoined them- forming a five foot long bo staff from the weapons.

He gave a subtle nod to his mentor before he turned towards the door and sent a sharp yet powerful kick towards its center- taking it off its hinges and causing it to slide a few feet inside.

The six men inside all turned towards them with weapons drawn. Fanghook raised his hands up in a submissive manner as he eyed the men, but kept his staff loosely in his left hand. "Guys come on, I just came to talk." He said, smirking as his mentor shot several V-Shaped shuriken out that landed on various parts of the men's weapons- a small electric shock soon running through the guns.

"He came to fight you though." He finished as Night Fury came to stand beside him, both of them taking their respective stances as the men fiddled with their now disabled weapons.

One of the men, who had a black helmet and black gloves as opposed to the usual red ones, stared at the other men then at the heroes. "What are you waiting for?!? Get em!!" He shouted, leading the men to hesitantly rush towards the vigilantes.

"After you?" Night Fury asked with a smile as Fanghook nodded and ran towards the head of the small group, launching down to slide into the man's leg and bring him to the floor. As soon as he landed, Fanghook shot up into a backflip and landed with both feet crashing onto the top of the man's helmet- the force sending him into a dazed state.

He swung out his staff next and slammed the edge into the center of another man's chest, smirking as he overhead his mentor taking on three other men behind him. The bo staff left a small dent in the man's armor, much to his surprise.

"Man, your suits must be made of paper mache or something!" The young hero commented as he drew back and slammed the staff into the side of the man's neck, taking him to the floor. The man rolled onto his back and brought his forearms up just in time to block the next swing, but wasn't swift enough to block Fanghook's kick to his right leg.

After this kick, he was thrown off guard- leaving a perfect opening. Fanghook forced the edge of his staff under the man's chin and sent out a 10,000 volt shock that spread throughout the man's body- finally taking him into an unconscious state.

As he turned back, he found their leader had finally decided to join the fray with a unique weapon- a double pronged stun baton with a small electric field surrounding the prongs. The man swung at Fanghook and grunted softly as the young man blocked with his staff, applying some opposing force to the confrontation.

"Okay, I gotta admit. That's pretty cool." Fanghook said with a smile as Night Fury tosses his last opponent aside and commented

"Don't compliment the bad guys!" From behind him. The dark clad form of the Night Fury shot overhead to grab the man from behind, throwing him off for a kick to the throat by Fanghook. After the kick, Fanghook fired a wire up into the ceiling then swept the man's legs.

As he fell to the floor, he felt a small push upon his back. Soon the ground beneath him began to space itself, and it occurred to him that he was being lifted up by something.

The man looked down with a scowl as he found himself dangling from the ceiling by the same wire that had been shot up before, both heroes looking up at him.

"Like it? I like to call this the punching bag line." Fanghook said as he sent a sharp punch to the center of the man's helmet.

The young hero gave a chuckle before turning back to the darker clad mentor he'd come with- Night Fury already approaching the computer terminal and beginning to hack into their server.

"So what're we looking at here?" Fanghook asked as he strolled over and stood beside him, his eyes soon locking onto the screen.

"An enemy to the AHDU." Was his mentor's response- a black flash drive soon being inserted into the computer from his belt. "Seems these guys call themselves BEWILDER. They're a branch of Drago's old company, focused on the more data based parts of his twisted schemes. Their leader is apparently a man named Alvin Treacher."

"So he's who we're after then."

"He was. Alvin has reformed since Drago's takedown and given up any information he had on the operations- including about BEWIDLER." The man replied much to Fanghook's chagrin.

"Then how are they still active?" The young man asked next, Night Fury turning to face him.

"That's what we're gonna figure out."

"Gentlemen, is hate to cut your little night out short but we've got a problem." Came a voice over both of their communicators. The two vigilantes shared a knowing look as Astrid's voice faded from the comm link, Fanghook giving a soft sigh as they began to exit the building.

"Well at least we got a lead." Night Fury said then,

………

Location: Vespa City

It started out so simple.

Flashes of white light crossed his eyes, giving them a slight burn. He tried to struggle once again against the tight ropes that held him to the wooden chair, looking on as the door to the warehouse slid shut- the white light of the vehicle outside being shut out. Even then, he could still faintly hear the sound of the engine running along with the pouring rain.

It was all just another night in Vespa City. He'd returned to try to clean up the streets a bit more and tie up some loose ends he'd left open in his downfall, and one of those loose ends caught him off guard. Or atleast they thought.

The man that approached had a face that only a mother could love, scars littering from brow to chin. His dark red beard carried several stains of gray, cold blue eyes locking onto the bound form before him.

"Well….if it isn't the mysterious Mister Unknown." The man said. He was fairly short, reaching a height of 5'5. Scott couldn't help but to stifle a laugh as the short man reached him, before being smacked against this right cheek by the man's heavily decorated left hand.

"I'm sorry...you're just so short I could barely hear your little comment." Scott replied as the rough handed man laid another hit upon his currently bare face.

"You're gonna regret those words. Scott Jorgenson, Eh? What the fucks a dead man doing stopping my operations?" The man asked as he began to walk around his chair, two taller men donned in black and white suits and ties standing on either side of Scott.

"Eh, being dead got boring. Figured busting up drug lords would be much more fun than rotting away." Was the black haired anti-hero's response as he gave a smirk, soon receiving a punch to the right side of his face in return.

He chuckled to himself as the hit set in, then turned towards the munchkin of a man again. "Dude, you hit like a toddler."

"Don't try to fucking embarrass me!!" The man screamed then, drawing a switchblade from his left pants pocket and jamming it into Scott's knee.

Scott winced slightly, but simply began to laugh as his leg ran red from the stab wound.

"Stop laughing!!" Came the next shout from the angered drug lord as he punched Scott square in the nose, the opposing man not even reeling slightly from the hit.

"I can't.." Scott replied in between laughs, much to the other man's chagrin. "You guys are so fucked and you don't even realize it!" He then shouted, leaving the shorter man and his two men bewildered.

"What the hell are you on about?" Came one of the bodyguards as he reached into his coat pocket.

"Dude, my hands are free." Scott said, taking all of them by surprise. There was something about him that the men hadn't noticed. Mainly because he was wearing gloves. One of his hands was made of silver metal, hell the whole right arm was. And it whirred to life allowing him to cut free. His next motion surprised them even more as he launched out and grabbed the short man by the throat, lifting him up into a headlock while pulling the knife from his knee.

"Alright guys, lets play ball." He said with a dark grin as he drug the blade across the man's neck slowly.

"Hey, calm down!!" The short drug lord shouted as his eyes widened in fear- the cold touch of the blade making him worry for his life.

"I'm so tired of people saying that." Scott said before finally plunging the knife into the man's throat in an unforgiving motion, then dragging the blade to the left to fully cut it open.

The small body dropped onto the floor, laying still. The blade rested now in the palm of Scott's hand as he glared at the other two, who stared in shock at their boss' body.

"The name Unknown is cool and all...but I prefer Nightmare." Scott said as he launched the knife towards the man on the right- plunging it into his eye just as the other man drew out a handgun.

Scott was however quicker, and grabbed the man's wrist then twisted it back in a swift motion, snapping it and leading the gun to drop towards the floor. Catching it with his foot, he kicked it back up and scooped it up into his waiting hand before firing a shot into the man's head.

As his body dropped, Scott spun on his left heel and fired three shots into the last man's chest- just as he pulled the knife from his eye.

With all of them dead, he was free to walk….or limp...out of the warehouse. And he planned to do just that, pulling open the door to the building with a smirk.

He expected to be met with the rampant downpour outside and the awaiting headlights of the stalled vehicle. He had not expected to be met with about twelve more men armed with pistols aiming at him and about four more vehicles waiting.

His face dropped slightly as he saw them, his eyes scanning over each and every single man and their weapon. His face then formed into a smirk once again.

My names Scott Jorgenson if you didn't catch that already….code name : Nightmare

Scott simply walked towards the fray.

I'm a bit of a hothead as my cousin would say. But I honestly think there's a lot more to me than just aggression…

"So what else is there to you?" She'd asked, her dixon Ticonderoga pencil tapping against the loose leaf notepad that rested in her lap. He wondered why she'd use a pencil rather than a pen, but that was probably the least of anyone's concerns at the moment.

They were currently in the AHDU headquarters located near the Dragon's Edge city coast, going over a story of one of Scott's recent ventures. He'd had quite a few since receiving his new arm.

Scott simply gave a sigh in response as he leaned back on the sky blue couch, looking over at the woman in the chair with a bored look.

"If you'd really like to know, join me for dinner. You'll find a lot about the Scottman then." He replied as the therapist gave a roll of her eyes and brought two fingers to rub her temple.

"Sorry, Scottman, I don't date ruthless aggressors." She replied then, much to his dismay.

He lifted himself up then and stared at her. "So you do think I'm just aggressive." Was his response, the brown haired woman before him giving an exasperated sigh as she scribbled another note onto the pad.

"No. I think you're better than that, just simply using the term since you're so used to it." She said then. Scott cut his eyes at her and gave a subtle sneer.

"Vanessa. Let's be straightforward with each other. I'm a psychopathic anti-hero and you're a bee whisperer. Yet you're sitting here counseling me like I'm one of your little yellow friends." He commented much to her chagrin.

"I'm licensed as both a physicist and have a minor in psychology. The fact that I chose to study bees doesn't necessarily concern you." She said as she moved to write something else onto her pad.

"Mhmm...and the fact that you're in the AHDU's science department working with tech that allows you to literally talk with bees?" He asked then, finally moving the conversation from himself and over to her.

"The H.I.V.E.* Technology is revolutionary. Me and Dr. Law have been hard at work on perfecting it."

{*Hardware for Insect Visitation and Elocution}

"And the suit?" He asked with a smile.

"Just a formality." Was her response as she gave a smile of her own.

"I don't know Vanessa. You can talk to bees, have a special suit for it...I think I smell the origin story." Scott

sat up and proceeded to pop his back on the couch, Vanessa gave a roll of her eyes at his antics.

"Scott we've been over this. The C.E.N.T.R.I.S.* Is just a bridge for communication and colonization.."

{*C.E.N.T.R.I.S.-the Communication and Extensive Natural Tonnage Research Insect Suit }

"I know, but it's still really cool. You can talk with them , that suit allows you to shrink to their size and you can fly...you're a superhero rather you like it or not."

"Eh, I prefer super scientist." She replied with a chuckle as Scott stood up finally, allowing his mechanical arm to whirl around under the black tank top he wore. He was back in proper fighting form after his rehabilitation- these therapy sessions having become a regular thing for the two of them now.

He held out his regular arm then, hand open for her to take. She took it and arose to her feet, standing about an inch taller than him.

"Now what was that about not dating ruthless aggressors?" He asked as she rolled her eyes once again.

"I suppose I can give you a chance." She said with a soft smile as the two of them made their way out of the office and into the halls, walking past several glass walls in the psychology area. They could see the other patients being treated for their mental issues along the way, a fact that uneased Scott's stomach a bit. He felt Vanessa's grip on his hand tighten slightly, and turned to her.

"Don't worry. They're all going to be alright." She said, getting a subtle nod from him in response. The two made their way into the elevator, Vanessa scanning her key card against the holographic screen that displayed the floors.

"What's going on?" Scott asked then, feeling her hand finally slip away from his own.

"We've been dating for about two months now. Since you guys defeated Viggo and ya know, started your rehabilitation. I just felt it best you see what I love to do…" she said, a bit shy with her explanation at first. She found him giving a soft smile as the elevator went all the way up, leading into the primary lab area.

It was very similar to the floor they'd just left- to all of the floors even. Though there was a slight decrease in lighting, it had the same glass panel walls and white tiles that made him feel so...odd. As they walked down the main corridor, he noticed her change in pace as she moved towards her work area.

It was a more closed off section, two white metal doors sliding open to allow them entry. There they were met with a large beehive behind a glass wall and several scientists dressed in white beekeeper suits and carrying clipboards as they studied it.

"So the primary thing we do here is try to figure out more about bee hormone secretion. The Queen Bee is very complex, and it's also something I'd love to truly wrap my head around." Vanessa explained as Scott tried not to become confused.

"Right...hormones."

"So far we've actually managed to create a form of replica pheromone- the peculiar scent and chemical basis actually pushes the cerebellum to comply with tasks it's been given. It's weird...like insect mind control." Vanessa continued as she walked over to a single area, her eyes locking onto a gray, black and gold suit behind a glass case.

"And of course- the C.E.N.T.R.I.S. Designed for bee communication and enhanced to help us actually interact with them more." She explained, Scott crossing his arms as he looked over it,

"Interact how?" He asked, watching as she gave a chuckle and moved to unlock the C.E.N.T.R.I.S. Case and removed the suit from its stand.

"It's better I show you." She said then, walking off through another door nearby.

As she left, he took the time to really take in everything he'd been shown. It all seemed so strange, but at the same time very cool. He had an uneasy feeling about being in the lab, flashbacks of Drago's own lair coming to mind. His mind was taken from those thoughts as he felt a strange sensation, his senses heightening as his ears picked up on the fluttering of wings.

"A bug? Did one of the bees get free or something?" He asked himself aloud, turning as the yellow and black spec flew past his nose, nearly invisible to his sight. But as his eyes adjusted, they widened.

The spec flew a few feet away, then it began to shake slightly. Not even a full second later, Vanessa stood before him wearing the C.E.N.T.R.I.S. The Bee Faced visor of the silver helmet popped upwards, revealing her face for him to see.

"Woah….definitely a super suit." He commented with a smirk, getting another eye roll from her. "Not a super suit!" She replied as she removed the helmet and allowed her hair to flow freely.

"If you say so." He responded while moving toward her. The woman then tapped onto the side of the helmet before sliding it back on and shrinking back down once again.

"Is this gonna be a constant thing?" He asked then, feigning annoyance to hide his true feelings of interest. He most likely wouldn't admit it aloud- as he didn't fully understand it, but this was very remarkable. He found himself being pulled from his thoughts by his communicator going off in his pocket, a sigh coming from his lips as he looked around for Vanessa.

She appeared a moment later, sitting full sized on the table beside him with her helmet off. "Duty calls?" She asks as he gives a sigh.

"Sadly. But a hero's work is never done." He responds without a smile before pulling her into a hug, followed by an abrupt kiss. He truly enjoyed their time together- despite how short it had been. In the time since meeting her and going through his therapy with her, he'd found a lot of familiarity with Vanessa- a familiarity he'd felt only once before.

He knew he trusted her when he told her about Heather. That was the staple in their newfound relationship. He brushed off these thoughts, opting instead to focus on making his way to his motorcycle and heading to the Immortal Edge.

Immortal Edge

"So, a very weird energy surge just hit the outer atmosphere of our planet. I don't know if the government or AHDU has picked up on it yet, but I think we need to investigate somehow." Astrid began, her Stormfly mask laying on the table of the room.

Everyone had arrived as they been asked- Night Fury, Nightmare, Nightlight, Windshear (Mala), Changewing, Fanghook, Typhoon, Barf, Belch, and even Toothless. They'd gained another new member as well- their longtime friend Huntress finally joining the fray. The archer looked over to Toothless with a small smile m. The dog rested on Hiccup's lap, his head against the man's stomach as he slept soundly during the briefing.

"So how exactly do we get to space?" Eret asked then, having no idea how they'd pull it off. That's when Hiccup smiled as he raised his hand.

"We've been working on that…"

They'd ventured into the hangar- the very last floor of the underground base. Each of them wore strange neck attachments- highly similar to the power restricting collars developed by Drago.

As they entered the area, most of their eyes widened. Save for Hiccup, Astrid, Camicazi and Scott would been primarily working on the new vehicle. Before them stood a large jet- nearly half the size of an airplane. It had a jet black finish, four wings that protruded from the back near the engines, backup rotors, and rotating jet turbines.

"What is this?" Eret asked first, his face shifting into a smirk.

"This is the Immortal X-Wing." Was Astrid's response, her smile never shifting from her face as she leaned against the entryway to the new jet.

Hiccup walked up beside her and motioned towards the aircraft. "My dad gifted it to me- or at least the base of it- as a birthday gift. For the past few months we worked on it to prepare it for the worst. More shielding- more speed, more durability and more weapons. This thing can handle space without a problem." He said then.

"Holy shit!" Barf swore as the Terror Twins began to rush towards the ship, bumping one another to gain distance. Eventually they found themselves falling flat onto the entryway, Belch on top of Barf with a sneer. "Get off me idiot!" Barf complained much to Belch's annoyance. He pushed himself up onto his feet and carried on into the ship, his sister following after with a glare beneath her helmet.

Hiccup rolled his eyes at Terror Twins' antics and merely waited for everyone else to board the ship. Soon after getting over their initial reactions to the inside of the fourteen man carrier- he took the helm of the pilot's seat which was at the front- behind a control console and a specially made steering system. Astrid took to the navigation seat which was right across from him, easy to look over to one another in times of danger.

"Already Immortals, ready time ride?" Astrid asked as she tapped onto her collar, a blue holo shield coming over her head before disappearing. The others followed suit before giving nods or whoops as assurance. The ship began to rumble as its engines finally started up, the jet turbines rotating to face the wall behind them as the jet began to move forward- the wall in front of the ship sliding open to reveal a look at the coast line.

It was a slow exit to begin, same as any plane flight. But that changed the second the wheels lifted off the ground and retracted into the ship's body- everyone felt the push as it shot off into the skyline. It was like watching an actual rocket take flight if viewed from afar. Each Immortal felt their bodies being pushed back during their ascent- ears popping with every foot of height gained.

Belch had a wild look beneath his mask, seemingly enjoying the rush that was coming from the flight. Barf has an opposite reaction and could feel her stomach turning from the force.

When the ship finally began to slow down, they all lurched forward. It was then that Fanghook looked up with wide eyes at the sight before them. "We did it...we're in space… Oh my Thor I'm in space!" He said then, Night Fury turning to smirk at his apprentice.

"Oh my Thor I'm in space and I had a history report due tomorrow. What if it takes us a whole year to get back, but to everyone else it's only been a day?!? What if the ship explodes?!? What if-"

"Gustav." Night Fury called as he looked back with concern upon his face. "We're gonna be alright. It's just a simple mission- checking out some weird energy signatures and heading on home. No biggie, alright?"

Though they were a good four feet apart (as Gustav took the seat closest to Hiccup to remain near his mentor) he still felt the sentiment behind the man's words. The fifteen year old nodded as he took in a breath and released it1 a small smile coming onto his face soon. "Right. Right. Small mission.." he uttered, making Hiccup smile as he turned back around.

"You are just amazing with kids aren't you?" Astrid asks as her eyes move over the energy radar on their ship's dash. Hiccup shrugged in response "I do pretty good." He said then, her eyes cutting up to look at the side of his face before looking back down.

"I...I need to tell you somethi-" she had begun, her words being cut off by a flash of blue light from outside.

"Well that's definitely some unnatural light." Hiccup commented, his eyes widening as a portal of some sort opened up. A moment later, a small older looking ship rushed through it, just barely missing the X-Wing. "Woah!!! Did somebody get the number of that thing?!?" Hiccup asked before he changed their course, turning to chase after the new ship.

Atali cursed under her breath as she saw that she was being followed by a much larger aircraft- though she had to admit it was much faster than it looked. She began to perform some evasive maneuvers- leading her ship into a spiral before breaking off and heading towards her goal.

"Are these humans?" She asked herself as she prepared for atmospheric entry. She didn't know the difference in gravitational pulls down here- how different it would be from the Hidden World. She was surprised to find it to be quite similar as her ship barreled towards the surface of the planet- heading to land on a beach in Florida.

The beach was alive with activity, as it had been spring break. With all the music booming and the teens partying, she found it quite frustrating to plot a landing course. Ultimately she opted to settle upon the water below, knowing her ship could be submerged with no issue. And so, she rushed into the sea- though didn't notice that everyone had stopped their partying to watch her enter the water.

Soon the whole ship was engulfed in water- no one speaking a single word on the situation. Finally, someone who was smart enough to read a situation called "We should leave!!!". It seemed everyone present could agree and began to exit the beach.

They soon stopped as Atali walked from the water and onto the beach line completely soaked, water being spat out onto the sand in annoyance. "I hate water landings." She said as she brandished her axe and pointed it at someone nearby. "You! What do you know of Grimmel?!" She asked, the young man looking on in confusion. He'd lifted his hands up in a surrendering notion as well, hoping to avoid raising her rage any further.

"Uh...Grimmel?" He asked, looking on as Atali nodded. "I uh, I deadass don't know who or what that is." He said as he looked at his beer and raised it to her. "But I know what beer is! Want one?" He asked, much to her annoyance.

Atali rolled her eyes and tapped the side of the bottle gently. "No I don't…" she began, taking a moment to think to herself. "Perhaps one. It's been a Helheim of a day."

After she took the drink from the young man, she chugged it down with ease and gave a smile as she threw the bottle to the ground. "Get me another!" She called, watching as the young man took off. He returned a moment later with two more bottles, handing them over to the mysterious woman.

She popped both of their tops, allowing Soulstar to rest in the sand as she drank them both down. "Hm, you've appeased me, human. I thank you." She said then, moving to one knee and lowering her head as a sign of respect.

"How grateful." Called a voice, the woman turning to meet the dark clad Night Fury as he and the rest of the Immortals approached the shoreline- the X-Wing having been parked down the beach.

"Who are you?" She asked, rising back to her feet and ignoring the man who'd gifted her the drinks.

"We're the Immortals- we defend this planet. And you almost knocked us clean out of space." Replied Typhoon as she locked her sights on Atali's axe, looking to Stormfly so she'd take note of it too. Though Stormfly backed away, not willing to jump into combat soon.

"Immortals? Pfft, I've seen real immortals before and struck some down. You seem to be frauds." Atali responses as she lifted her axe once again, eyes glowing as she locked onto them.

"Let's not get into a scrap just yet lass." Huntress called as she knocked back an arrow with a spherical tip- aimed at the strange woman. The redhead hadn't been an immortal for long, but even still she wouldn't allow any unneeded confrontation within her ranks. Her eyes stayed on Atali even as the newcomer began to move towards them.

"Why are you here?" Night Fury asked then, a hand hovering over his belt. He looked to Fanghook for a moment- the younger dragon getting the notion and moving towards the left side of his belt.

"I'm here for Grimmel- he's come here for something and I need to know why." Atali responded, watching as they readied themselves for war. Her face twisted into a scowl for a moment. "And if you stand in my way, you will fall." She said- Nightmare scoffing

"Who is Grimmel?" AskedFanghook, keeping his hand over the pouch. He didn't trust this, not in the slightest. But he'd hoped the woman was sensible.

"A magic wielder- one seeking to wipe out all dragons left alive." She replied- her glare focusing onto the young figure.

"Dragons?" Night Fury asked as he dropped his guard. "Dragons are extinct."

"To your kind they are. They still exist, and I am charged with protecting them all." Atali said then, still not dropping her guard. She hadn't known yet if she could trust these strangers- but they seemed to be highly interested in her business there.

"Riiight." Nightmare said as he moved a hand over the hilt of his sword, Atali's shooting towards him.

"It'd behoove you all to draw no more weapons." She said then, preparing for the worst.

"Let's all calm down." Night Fury called as he motioned towards her. "Just come with us and tell us some more about all this- I swear we won't attack if you don't."

She dropped her scowl for a moment, seeming to weigh her options. It was true she was more than wanting to avoid more conflict, so a simple talk would bode well. She softened her grip on Soulstar then, placing the valued weapon into her thigh holster.

"I'd prefer to speak." She said.

Immortals Edge

"So you're an Asgardian and you protect dragons on another planet?" Hiccup asked as he looked across the table at Atali, who'd removed the shoulder guards from her armor for more comfort. She merely nodded in response while drinking from the bottle of beer she'd been given- with about fourteen empty bottles resting off to the side of the table.

"Yes. The Hidden World was recently under attack from Muspelheim- further investigation told me that a man known as Grimmel had threatened them into attacking, wanting to wipe out the dragons. Why? I'm unsure- but I shall make sure to beat that explanation out of him." She said

"And he's supposedly on Earth?" Hiccup asked as he released a sigh. "Can we ever get a break?" He asked no one in particular. While it had been around two months since Viggo's downfall, the Immortals still never got much of a time off.

"We'll be more than willing to help you Atali. This is our planet and the Immortals don't stand for genocidal maniacs taking up refuge here." He said while rising to his feet, the woman doing the same. She was barely any shorter than him, which made him feel a bit intimidated- but nonetheless he struck out a hand to the woman.

She took the gesture, placing her forearm into his hand and wrapping her own hand around his- giving a subtle squeeze as a sign of respect. "I thank you Henry, and will be certain to repay you and your allies for your assistance."

Hiccup cocked an eyebrow at that, but left the conversation there. He turned and left the meeting room to go and find Astrid, feeling he'd find her in the kitchen if anything. She'd been there a lot recently. His hunch was correct, and he found his girlfriend washing off a plate before she turned to face him.

"Hey." She said, her eyes seemingly a bit red. She dried off the plate and placed it onto a rack nearby before walking over to hug him.

"Hey."

"So, how'd it go with Space Axe Girl?" Astrid asked with a subtle smile as she released her grip, Hiccup giving a gentle shrug in response.

"She's gonna join us- or rather we're gonna join her in finding this Grimmel guy. Once all is said and done she's gonna head back to her home."

"That's great." Astrid said then, turning her attention away from him and towards the cupboards. He moved a step closer to her and rested both hands upon her shoulders.

"So, what did you want to tell me earlier?" He asked, her eyes widening slightly as she quickly turned to face him again.

"It was nothing. I was just Uh...nervous about the whole space trip thing is all- nothing big." She said, attempting to pass it off to the man. In their time together, she'd found that it's very hard to lie to a man who can hear your heartbeat.

But she remained calm through the moment, and used her own powers to stabilize her heartbeat with a very small controlled shock to the arteries. Absolutely painless, and absolutely perfect.

He quirked an eyebrow at her then, soon smiling. "Well so long as you're alright. I'm gonna go help Atali get acquainted with everyone and maybe find a room for her." He said, reaching down to plant a kiss upon her forehead.

She closed her eyes and allowed herself to fall into his touch for a moment before he drew back, much to her disappointment. He headed towards the door with his eyes lingering upon her- her eyes doing the same.

She gave a small wave. "I'll be in our room." Was all she said as he finally left. It took a moment of silence to assure he was far enough away, but she soon turned away from the door and allowed her eyes to water slightly.

Welcome to Arc 3 ladies and gentlemen. You've met our newest hero- Atali, and you've been reintroduced to another one- Huntress (AKA Merida). I felt like the team really needed an archer this time around so, here we go.

But onto other things- this originally was gonna be much shorter with a few spin off stories to tie into it- but after starting those I realized I couldn't keep up. So I just expanded this first chapter a bit.

What do you think Astrid was going to tell Hiccup?

Let me know your guesses in the reviews- and please leave me some good reviews this time around! Love you guys, XO out!


	22. Arc 3: The Break-In

"Alright so what have we got?" Gustav asked as he casually leaned back in his chair, feet pressed up against the edge of the table.

"We've got a location for another BEWILDER hideout in Copper Grove." Hiccup responded as he activated the Holomap in the center of the table, bringing things into a clearer visual for his apprentice.

"Woah- Copper Grove? That's a whole city away! Awesome!" Gustav exclaimed, which brought a soft smile to Hiccup's face.

"Yup. So get ready. Cause this is a lot bigger than just a warehouse..may need an extra hand for extra security." Hiccup told him, turning to head upstairs.

"Alright then."

…….

"We've got a problem." The male voice called into the speaker of her phone, Vanessa releasing a sigh as she fumbled with the car key in her hand.

"I figured Sam." She responded with a huff as she pulled open the door to the car, sliding her purse into the passenger's seat before starting it up. Today was meant to be a day off for her- a day away from the CENTRIS technology she'd loved so much.

It was such a simple day- she started off with a regular morning routine- headed to the nearby gym for two hours and then came home for a shower. But just as she was singing the chorus to Face Down, her phone rang and interrupted her peaceful shower. After answering the call, she'd simply rushed to her car after getting dressed and headed towards AHDU Central.

"What's the issue Sam?" She asked as she began the drive towards the building- pulling to a stop at a red light and taking a moment to gather her keycard.

"There was a break in. The CENTRIS is still here, but the serums we've formed from the hive is gone." Dam explained in an exasperated tone. Vanessa sighed as she took off from the light, increasing her driving speed slightly to ensure a quick trip.

She'd finally made it not long after, parking and rushing to the entrance, after a quick ID scan- she was in the elevator and headed up to her lab. As the doors slid open, she was met with chaos. Chairs and tables overturned, some research destroyed, most of it gone. It was honestly disgusting to her.

"Dear Christ…" she muttered as she stepped into the hall, trying to tear her eyes away from the destruction that had befallen the floor. "Sam?" She called as she peaked her head into their lab, finding the man rubbing his temples as he sat at his desk- the lab being in the same condition as the others.

"I don't know who'd do this. Who would even think to steal the Hive Mind Formula?!"

"That's a good question. And I think I might know someone who can help."

…….

"So someone broke in?" Scott asked as he took a look around the lab. He wore a dark brown leather jacket over a blue tee shirt and a pair of dark jeans- some brown loafers completing his look. The only other thing he'd added was a pair of black gloves to keep his arm a secret. One of the cons of having a cybernetic arm- couldn't rock a wife beater in public.

"Yeah I figured that was obvious." Commented a distressed Sam who sat with his head resting in the palms of his hands at his desk. Vanessa cut a glare at the man for a moment before turning to her boyfriend once again.

"We don't have any idea who would've done this, but our Hive mind formula is missing now- and that's definitely not good." She commented, Scott gave a shrug in response.

"Figured anything getting stolen from this place would be bad. But mind control serum? That's just the worst it could get." He said as he moved over to the table that had held the research data previously, taking a mental note of every little thing he saw.

"I'll see if I can find them based on what we have here. If not, then I'll give Night Fury a call." He'd added that last part a bit reluctantly. His cousin was an amazing detective, so much so that it actually made him feel a bit inferior- not that he'd ever admit that of course.

There weren't many words shared after this- with Scott simply collecting small bits of evidence from the scene and taking off towards the Immortal Edge. As his motorcycle rushed down the main road of Dragon's Edge, he found an eerie feeling coming up. That feeling was pushed further by the sound of his motorcycle's external sensor going off.

Once something moving a bit too fast for his liking entered within a 100 foot radius, the vehicle would chime to alert him, giving the man a split second to react. He took that split second to launch the bike onto its front tire and swerve it to a stop- a bullet rushing past and hitting the back window of a car parked nearby.

"Great. A sniper." He muttered as he got off of the bike and reached onto the back of his belt, drawing a handgun and rushing into an alley for cover. It took a moment for anything else to happen, Scott having tuned out the sounds of people rushing about after the initial gunshot to focus on his surroundings. Finally he heard a set of footsteps plant themselves behind him, about 20 feet away.

He turned with a swiftness and aimed the handgun at a shadowy figure- the person drawing a sword from their back and rushing at him. He brought up his right arm in defense- the sound of metal colliding with metal being heard before the whole sleeve burned to a crisp, revealing his cybernetic arm to be lit up with orange energy.

The energy also showed the man's helmet, and brought a grimace to Scott's own face. The man drew his sword back from the sudden heat source and drew out a handgun- opening fire with a quick three round burst. Each bullet met the heated up arm and melted on impact.

Scott smirked at the man's apparent surprise and took the lead, turning his robotic palm towards the man. "My turn." He said before unleashing a sonic burst towards the man, sending him flying further into the alley.

The man was quick to recover, rolling onto his back and into a kneeling stance, looking up to Scott. "The arms new. Definitely wasn't in your profile." He said as he stood up. Scott got a good look at the man's suit then. It was mostly navy blue with touches of gray and black- a black Dragon skull on the center of the chest. The helmet was the same as the chest design, but it was a full face helmet that was gray with black eyes.

"So who are you exactly?" Scott asked as he took a defensive stance, keeping his right arm forward rather than his left.

"I go by many names. But you can call me-" the man had begun to speak, then paused as he shot an arm out, throwing three metal balls at Scott. The balls seemingly collapsed in on themselves and released a thick cloud of smoke, taking Scott off guard for a moment. He was expecting the man to approach from the front, but was surprised as he attacked from behind with a kick- launching him forward.

"Singetail." The man finished as he crossed his arms, staring down at Scott.

"How did you-"

"Short range teleportation. Just one of the little toys I picked up in the ADHU labs."

Scott's face hardened at the revelation the man had just given. His fists clenched even tighter as his glare towards the man sharpened. "So you're the one I'm looking for."

"Yes I am...good luck catching me. This was just a small moment to go over some research." Singletail replied as he began to back away, then disappeared once again.

Scott slammed a fist into the ground from anger, watching as the smoke dissipated before his eyes.

Copper Grove

"Everyone in position?" Hiccup asked over his communicator as he peered out from beyond a couple of bushes.

"Ready." Replied Merida as she adjusted the strap that held her quiver in place while sliding out a circular tipped arrow.

"Ready." Came Gustav as he looked from beyond a set of bushes near the gate, staring directly at the two guards that stood up front.

"Good. Let's get it." Hiccup replied as he looked over his holomap on his gauntlet, then slid his fingers over two small circles, causing the lights outside the post to flicker before shutting off. The two guards standing at the gate looked around in surprise, one of them tapping into their earpiece.

"We've got lights out, I repeat we've got lights out. Let's get someone to look at the exterior breaker." He said, taking his finger away from the earpiece just in time to meet a fist to the face. Both men fell into two awaiting pairs of arms, and were dragged off into the darkness. They returned a moment later, taking up their posts once again as though nothing had happened.

It was a moment later when the lights came back on, allowing them to see clearly. "Everything good?" A voice asked over the mic.

"We're all good now." Replied the man who'd called it in. "Heading inside for post change." He said, turning to the gate and pushing it open before walking down the stone path that led to the building's main door.

"Well that was easy." Merida commented from beneath the black helmet she'd wore over her head- the same one that belonged to one of the men they'd just knocked unconscious.

"Too easy. But that was just the beginning." Hiccup responded as the two of them approached the main door, Hiccup sliding an access card he'd taken into the scanner to gain entry. As the door slid open, he smirked beneath his helmet.

"Sup Josh." His eyes widened at the unfamiliar voice, both of them stopping to turn and face the masked man that had greeted him.

"Uh...what's up?" He said, giving a subtle wave. "How ya doing?" He asked, getting a subtle nudge from Merida.

"Eh, I've been better. Wife's been on my ass lately about this job- but ya know. Keeps food on the table so…"

"Oh I know too well man." Hiccup replied, feeling a drop of sweat starting to form at the top of his forehead.

"Yup. Well, I'll see you later man, gate guard." The other man said as he offered a fist, which Hiccup looked at for a moment before bumping.

"Later man." He said, turning to walk away.

"That was awkward." Merida whispered as they walked throughout the brightly lit foyer- it looked similar to an office building here.

"Yeah, and I get the feeling it's only gonna get more awkward the further we go." He explained as they carried onwards to the elevator.

"What floor are we heading to?" She asked, Hiccup crossing his arms over his chest whilst ignoring the subtle budging the firearm he'd taken from the man on his back. He hated guns, with a passion.

"Top floor. That's where they keep all the computers, also where we'll find the big man himself."

"The big man? Interesting". Merida said as the elevator began its ascension, stopping momentarily on another floor to allow three more men to enter. They remained calm at this, ignoring the men for the most part. That was until one of them spoke.

"So did you guys think you could get away with it?" He asked, Hiccup lifting an eyebrow in confusion beneath his helmet. The three men said nothing then as the elevator stopped once more to allow three more to enter.

It kept moving, until one of them reached out and pressed the emergency stop button. Now, it was silent.

"We found two of our guys unconscious outside...strange isn't it?" Another man asked, causing Merida's breath to momentarily hitch.

"That is strange." Hiccup said as he eyed the man carefully. The man scoffed as he reached down to draw a weapon, then turned to face him.

"Not too strange though."

Shit, Hiccup thought as he gave a sigh and lashed out, punching the man against the doors.

The others in the elevator moved then, with Merida ripping the helmet off of her head and slamming into the side of someone else's head. That left one of them down with five to go.

Hiccup ducked beneath an oncoming punch, smirking as the man's fist hit another in the throat. He rushed up and struck out with his left foot, breaking that same man's ankle with ease. As the man collapsed in pain, he grabbed the same ankle and swung him at the other man.

Merida sucked beneath and oncoming punch and rushed up just in time to slam the man's arm into the wall beside them, following the notion with a swift knee to the stomach and then to the visor of his helmet- shattering the glass covering. He rammed her gloved fist through the newly made hole and finally knocked him out.

As Merida disposed of that one, Hiccup drew back his right fist and energized it. The same chi energy he'd been studying was surrounding it in a small aura. That same fist plunged towards the armored chest of an oncoming attacker, then forced the man back into the door with a huge dent left behind.

He watched as his previous target- the man he'd swing another guy into- got back up, only to be smacked headfirst into the door by Merida. They both turned to the last two men who lunged at them, only to be forced back in a wave of blue energy. The power of the Night Fury roared about for a moment before disappearing almost as fast as it had come.

"Alright, cover blown." Hiccup admitted as he reactivated the elevator, despite the small groan of protest that came from one of the downed men as he stepped upon the small of his back.

"Well let's make this quick then." Merida replied as she reached for the gun she'd taken earlier, looking into the chamber.

Hiccup gave a slight groan of protest. He never used guns, but Merida was different. She used them- but never to kill. Even still, he disliked their presence. It was ultimately the same with Snotlout, as the Immortals had managed to convert him from a full blown killer since the Viggo incident.

"Gustav, we're compromised. Get ready." He said without a second thought as he tapped onto his earpiece. He turned and gave a nod to Merida then.

"Get ready."

Dragon's Edge

Scott gave a huff as he pulled into the Immortal Edge's garage- which arose from the ground in a large field on the outskirts of the city.

As he parked his motorcycle and dismounted it, Cami and Eret turned to face him.

"You seem particularly upset." Cami commented as she crossed her arms over her chest. Eret huffed slightly as he removed a small part from the Immortal X-Wing's engine.

"Just got my ass kicked, so I'm not too peachy right now." Scott responded while walking over to them, a hand resting on his metallic arm.

"By who?" Eret asked as he wiped off his hands with a rag he'd had laying on a bench nearby.

"Some guy calling himself Singetail. Broke into AHDU HQ and stole Vanessa's research. He didn't take her Weird bee suit though." Scott remarked as he pulled up a holographic visual on the palm of his ionic arm- showing footage that his arm had pulled from the security cameras of the building. "I hadn't even reviewed this footage before the dude attacked me."

"Well let's see if we can find him somehow." Eret said as he looked over the footage, a ghost of a smirk coming across his face as they began to leave the hangar to head upstairs. Once in the computer room, Scott uploaded the footage into the main computer and uploaded something else.

"What's that?" Can I asked in reference to the new window that popped up- a small drop box with a strange meter across the center.

"An energy meter. My news arm's got a lot of attachments- including an energy absorption method. It picked up on some of the residual energy left behind with that jackass teleported away, so I'm gonna try to piece together a tracker using it." He explained with a smirk. See? Hiccup isn't the only one who smarts good.

"That's badass mate...I may have to lose a limb soon." Eret said with a clap upon Scott's shoulder. Scott's eyes travelled across the floor and found themselves landing on a foreign object.

"That's the Asgardian chick's Axe. Why's it in here?" He asked as he began to walk towards it, Cami giving a shrug.

"She was using the computer to try and find traces of that Grimmel guy." She explained , watching with an amused look as Scott wrapped his hands around the base of the axe.

"After she couldn't find anything she went to the gym to lift our heaviest weights- didn't really seem like a hassle for her." Eret said.

Scott gave a huff as he pulled on the handle, watching it move ever so slightly before fully lifting from the ground. The axe glowed a bright yellow tone for a moment, but then it ceased. It wasn't even a second layer before Scott found the axe dropping from his grip.

"What in the-"

"Asgardian enchantment…" came a voice, everyone turning to watch as Atali entered the room. "My weapon cannot be wielded by anyone without the blessing of Freyja." She explained as the axe rushed back into her awaiting palm.

Scott scoffed at her explanation. "So how does one get her blessing?" He asked, becoming more interested with the magical weapon.

"Simple- you go through the trials of Frigg. Have the proper determination, strength, combat prowess and knowledge. But above all else, you must have a pure heart- lest the weapon sink from your grip like a stone in the sea." She said, much to Scott's disgust.

"Doesn't sound very fair." He said as he crossed his arms.

"It's not meant to be fair. It's meant to bless only the purest and best of warriors with the power of a god." Atali explained as she crossed her arms and stared down at the man, standing a good few inches over him.

"Whatever. You'd just better be up and at em with that thing when the time comes. Cause no one else is gonna be able to lift it." He exclaimed as he turned back towards the computer. "How's that tracker goin?"

Cami and Eret, who'd been entranced by the man's talk with the Asgardian warrior, snapped back to attention. "Yeah, it's locked onto a location near Copper Grove." Eret said

"Then Copper Grove, here we come."

Copper Grove

"That was a horrible plan!" Merida commented as she released three arrows, watching as each one delivered a controlled shock to one single man.

"It would've been an amazing plan had our cover not been blown." Hiccup responded as he spun around to deliver a blue glowing punch to an oncoming man- sending him flying straight at another one in a blur.

"Yeah right. Oi Gustav, is everything ready?" Merida asked as she tapped into her communicator while ducking under another man's fist. They'd moved to the top floor- control room and instantly been attacked as they exited the elevator. Not a good thing.

"Good to go! Now get that information and run!" Was the response, Hiccup nodding before throwing out a few smoke pellets. The thick smoke filled the room and he moved throughout the fog and wave of bodies, delivering blow after blow to reach the main computer. It took no time for him to slam a flash drive into the USB port and begin downloading all of their information.

"This shouldn't take too long." He said, turning on his heel and throwing out a punch as he sensed another attacker.

The man caught his fist and twisted his wrist, pushing his arm behind his back. "Trust me, you won't live long enough to get it." The man said. This man wore different armor than any of the others- and it was kinda cool.

"And who are you? Their boss?" Hiccup asked with malice behind his words, the other man pushing him away before drawing a sword.

"I'm an enforcer….you can call me Singetail." He said as he launched himself at the hero, Hiccup quickly blocking the sword slash with two energy lit fists to the blade. This successfully stopped the blow but didn't stop the man from sending a knee to his stomach and following it up with a roundhouse kick to the jaw.

Hiccup hit the computer with a thud and spun out of the way of another well aimed punch- this one landing Singetail's fist through part of one of the smaller computers.

"Metahuman?" Hiccup asked as he lashed out with his own attack, sending one of his chi charged fists into the man's rib cage- causing him to go flying with a burst of blue energy against his side.

Singetail rolled onto the floor and leapt back to his feet, keeping his sword steady. "What do you think?" He asked, watching as Hiccup pulled the flash drive.

"I think I'm done here. And I'd advise you to get out of this building." He said, Singetail looking on with a confused expression beneath his helmet.

He was soon knocked back to the floor by a ball tipped arrow, Merida waving over before taking off through the door, Hiccup following behind.

Singetail got up with a small groan and looked at his men, a few beginning to rise. "Follow them!!" He shouted, then looked around as the building's fire alarm began to go off. The sprinklers followed soon after, dousing all of them in water.

He gave a sharp sigh. "And get these idiots out of here...I got a bad feeling about what comes next." He said. If they pulled the alarm, it definitely wasn't to embarrass them with a bit of water. They were trying to evacuate the building.

Why? He didn't know, but he would make sure to escape.

"Alright Gustav, get rea-" Hiccup began as they rushed from the building, but found himself being kicked across the ground by a sudden flash of light. He looked up to find Singetail standing overhead.

"A teleporter too? Neat." He said as he moved back to his feet. The two took their own respective stances and began to stare each other down, Singetail moving to circle Hiccup.

"You must be the Night Fury Huh?" He asked him, Hiccup nod responding. "Heard about your little Grimborn takedown, gotta admit that's good work. I couldn't even topple Viggo on my best day." He said.

"You knew him?" Hiccup asked, watching as Singetail shrugged.

"He used to be my boss, til I upgraded." He responded much to Hiccup's detest. The two were about ready to square off, spending the next few moments going blow for blow until it happened.

The sounds of the X-Wing's engine rippled over the sky, every head down below lifting upwards as it approached. Out from the hatch jumped Nightmare, being carried by Nightlight, and Typhoon. The three heroes landed a few feet from the gate and looked around in confusion.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Nightlight asked as he sent a burst of green energy barreling towards two oncoming men.

"We could ask you the same." Was Hiccup's response as he rushed over to them, turning to nod at Gustav and Merida. "Is the building all clear?" He asked then, Gustav giving a thumbs up in response.

"Alright, let's kick it." He said then, confusing the newcomers and the opposers. That confusion was soon replaced by a large BOOM, everyone turning around as the building blew apart from the bottom and up.

"What the fuck?!?" Came the shout from Singetail as he rushed towards the Immortals, finding himself being flung back by a burst of orange energy courtesy of Nightmare.

"Singey! I've been looking for you!" Nightmare called out as the man recovered.

"Damn….not now." Singetail began, taking a moment to look around. "Scatter you idiots!! We are not done." He said at first to his men- then directed the last line towards Nightmare. Before the other man could react, Singetail disappeared in another flash- teleporting away from the scene.

"Dammit!" Nightmare cursed into the air, the rest of the Immortals moved to gather up the leftover men. Which was relatively easy with Typhoon wrapping them all before they could blink.

"Let's get these guys into custody- someone alert the Grove Police Department." Gustav said to the rest of the group as he walked past the others to board the X-Wing. He stopped for a second, allowing his eyes to go wide. "H-Hiccup!! You need to see this!!" He shouted before tapping away at his gauntlet.

"See what?" Hiccup responded as he approached, but stopped mid-run as he received the information. He pulled it up in an instant and stared at it with wide eyes.

"Holy shit…" he said, all eyes turning to him then.

"What's wrong?" Eret asked, shifting slightly in his place. Hiccup turned to them with breath hitched.

"BEWILDER has been supplying weapons off-world. They've been running a black market to goddamn aliens...and those aliens are on their way here…"

"So...so you're basically saying." Scott had replied as he took in the information. Hiccup nodded in response.

"There's an alien invasion coming to Earth...ETA, two weeks."

Dun dun DUUNNN!!! And I have returned after a brief hiatus (sorry I was gone for so long but I've trying to deal with some shit personally- all is good now) I hope you enjoy this chapter and just know I'm gonna try to push out some more soon. Currently stuck on a deployment so shits been kinda tough- but when I touch back down in the US, this story Finna be lit!!!

Until next time readers, stay cool!


	23. Arc 3: The Recruits

"Alright so here's what we know." Hiccup began as he pulled up an image on the computer, everyone's eyes turning to face it. "BEWILDER has been supplying enhanced weapons to an alien race known as the Aurari'."

"The Aurari are a race of reptile like warriors that have travelled the galaxy for years, conquering planets and absorbing their resources to fuel their ships." Atali explained as she stood beside Hiccup. "They are viscous, cruel and can never be talked down when committing their heinous acts. So we're going to need to be properly prepared for their arrival."

"Which means we're gonna need an army." Scott exclaimed in disdain. "We don't have enough people for an alien invasion." He said, Hiccup lifting a hand.

"We've got Big Hero Six on standby, along with Ice Queen , Rapunzel, Jack Frost and Thunderdrum."

"Your dads joining in? That'll give us an edge but will it be enough?" Eret asked then.

"Probably not. That's why we're gonna be recruiting some more arms." Hiccup responded as the computer's image changed. "Moana Cravalho. Chieftess of the Motonui Born Moko Tribe. She wields a weapon similar to an oar, but with two side prongs and a sharp metallic edge- capable of controlling all bodies of water as well as the storms- and apparently communicating with all forms of sea life."

"She's also a direct link to the spirit of Maui, god of the seas." Astrid said as she read over Moana's file a bit more.

"Next up is James Lake Jr, The Trollhunter." Hiccup began as the image changed yet again. "Wielder of the sword of daylight, skilled in using it and using his connections to ancient trolls to enhance his natural abilities. This kids tougher than he looks." He said with a smirk.

"Next up we've got Susan Murphy, better known as Ginormica." Astrid said.

"We're gonna try to recruit Ginormica? Nice." Tuffnut commented as he stared at the image of the white haired woman.

"Yep! As you guys may know, she's capable of growing up to sixty feet tall, and has super strength to match that size." Hiccup says as he looks towards her image. "Though side effects include old lady hair, thankfully she can control it."

"Nice...now who else are we roping into this?" Ruffnut asked, her interested having been piqued at the giant-sized heroine.

"A shit ton more...but the one I'm more focused on is…." Hiccup turned and released a breath he'd been holding in, then pressed the computer to reveal the next hero profile. "Cloudjumper."

The room went silent, mouths dropped in shock and eyes lifted in confusion. Finally, Mala was the one to speak. "Isn't Cloudjumper...ya know...dead?" She asked, watching as Hiccup turned to face all of them again.

He shook his head. "No...my mother is very much alive. She's been in hiding for years- faked her death.."

"How do you know that?" Scott asked.

"When you guys found me in that church after the fight with Viggo...she was the one who brought me there and healed me."

"Woah…" Scott muttered in response, his eyes casting down towards the table. "So...Auntie Val is alive..that's great but how do we know she'll join us? If she's in hiding wouldn't that risk a lot for her?"

Hiccup smirked at that. "She's a hero...it's an occupational hazard."

11:55 PM

Hiccup's emerald eyes locked onto the faint image of an outstretched hand, pulling him onto his feet. He chuckled gently at the taller figure. It was a woman in her mid 30's, with brunette hair and beautiful eyes. "Get up my little dragon, it's time for school." She spoke in a Scottish accent, every word sounding as sweet as a melody.

"But I don't wanna go to school!" The ten year old Henry shouted as he huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "I wanna stay home with you and dad!!" He was deadset on this.

"I know you do lad, but mommy and daddy have important work to do." She replied as she looked down to her phone. She seemed a bit anxious then. Her eyes cut across the room for a moment, but soon settled upon her son.

"Mom I can help with your work!" He said with joy as he kept from his bed and allowed his feet to settle into the floor.

"No dear, I don't think you can. You're not quite old enough, not yet atleast." Valka had said. This child was so adamant on coming with them, it actually pained her to turn him down. She kneeled down and rested a hand upon his cheek.

"Me and your father will be back to see you after school. And maybe another time you can join us. But I'm afraid today is not the day." She said, a soft smile grazing her features.

"Wel why not?" He asked, his mouth shifting into a frown.

"Because today's the day I leave."

"W-What?" Hiccup asked, looking up to her face. But she was gone, nowhere to be seen. He searched around the room and found nothing but darkness in his wake, much to his disdain.

"Mom?!? Mom?!??" He shouted, thrashing about wildly.

It was then he awoke with a start, breathing a bit heavier than usual. He ran a hand through his hair as he released a sigh and shook his head. His thrashing had apparently awoken Astrid, who looked at him with concern.

"What's wrong babe?" She asked , resting a hand upon his bare chest.

"Just...a bad dream " was his response, a bit hesitant to elaborate further.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked then, her eyes filled with worry. He contemplated it for a moment, but finally gave in,

"Y-yes….I'm scared Astrid." He admitted, much to her surprise. She sat upright in the bed and looked at him with eyes slightly wide.

"Scared of what?" She asked, watching as he looked down to the foot of the bed and back to her

"Scared of everything. An alien invasion, that's way out of our league..,but I think I'm scared most of losing the ones close to me." He said, his face shifting into a frown.

"Babe, we're going to be alright."

"You say that, but you never know what could happen. When I was twelve, I never expected my dad to come home alone with his helmet off and tears staining his cheeks….never expected him to say Mom was gone."

"Yes I know...and I know that's hard but-"

"I never expected her to show up again years later, saying she faked her death. I never expected to lose Heather later on that same year….I expected none of it…"

Astrid sighed as she pulled him into a hug then pulled away, staring intently into his eyes. "You can't expect everything to happen in this life. I never once thought I'd become a weather controlling superhero, in a relationship with a Batman wannabe who's really a clown underneath his mask."

"Wow, thank you for that." He commented

"But I'm glad I'm here. Because without you, I'd never have this life. I'd still be living in fear, trying to get myself under control. God only knows what would happen if I'd kept using that drug….and besides, I'd never have a family like the one I have now."

That seemed to help ease his thoughts, Hiccup's smile soon settling back upon his face as he wrapped an arm around her. "Alright, you make fair points."

"I know I do, I always do." She replied with a smile as she kissed his cheek. "And ya know...you have another reason not to worry." She began, Hiccup's eyebrow lifting in confusion.

"And what would that be?" He asked. She was hesitant at first, but soon moved her hand over one of his own and dragged it over to her stomach. He didn't catch on for a moment, but found his eyed going wide.

"Are you-"

"Yes….three weeks along." She replied.

"And am I-"

"What do you think dummy? Of course you're the father." She replied with a giggle as she gently smacked his cheek.

"Wow….first an alien invasion and now parenthood...what a week."

Downtown Dragon's Edge- the Next Day

"Alright this is getting annoying." Tuffnut said into his communicator as he ducked down behind an overturned police cruiser, a bundle of purple colored pellets in his gloved hand.

"Yeah, but it's also kinda fun." Replied his sister from the other line. She herself was running along the top of the roof that he was currently ducking opposite from. It was a hostage situation that had gotten way out of hand. It got out of hand when Barf and Belch showed up.

Ruffnut had made it to the roof in order to spring the hostages while Tuffnut provided a distraction. This same distraction led to a small explosion that wounded a few robbers and sent their getaway car onto its side, along with a police cruiser. He honestly hoped this was as bad as this could get, though losing any hostages would be way worse.

He sighed softly before leaping up to throw out the pellets as the men began to reload- the pellets collapsed in on themselves and went off sending green and orange fireworks flying in front of the men. A few of them dropped their weapons, while others tried to defend their barren faces with them.

This gave Belch an opening, and he leapt over the side of the vehicle and rushed over, tackling one man to the ground before getting up and ramming the side of a metal baseball bat into another's head. As those two went down the sparks settled and the other two men got a clear view.

They were too late as Belch leapt onto one in a frenzy, taking him to the ground with ease. He rolled aside and struck out with his left leg at the last man's ankle, causing him to clatter to the ground. With his final strike, he launched onto him and drove his elbow into the center of the man's chest.

"Huh...that was easier than I thought." He said with a smile beneath his helmet, watching as the police moved over to collect the men. He turned back to find Barf exiting the building with all of the hostages now free.

"Yup, too easy." She replied as she leaned against the doorway.

"Guys bring it in." Astrid's voice called over their comms, both of them sighing as they heard her

"Aw, What now?!?'' Ruffnut asked as she threw her hands into the air. Grumbling, they both began to make their way back to the Edge.

Immortal Edge

"Alright so, a few things to go over today." Hiccup began as he finally entered the room, wearing a black turtleneck and a pit of dark jeans. "The Immortal Initiative, as we're calling it, is a go. We start recruiting today."

"Yippee." Came a not-so-excited Scott who rested his face in the palm of his left hand.

"We're going to start mandatory training tomorrow at 1300." Hiccup continued, watching as Gustav lifted a hand,

"Uh, What time is that?" He asked.

"One o clock PM." Came the response from Astrid, Hiccup, and the Twins.

"And the final thing….Stormfly is going to be out of Immortals affairs for a while." He said. Everyone seemed to stand to attention then, all eyes turning to her as she walked over to him.

"Is everything alright?" Mala asked, trying to read the micro expressions the two were giving off. Throk sat beside her doing the same, whilst using his enhanced hearing to listen to their heartbeats.

"Everythings fine. It's great even..,the reason I'm taking time off is because it's maternity leave," Astrid explained a bit sheepishly.

The whole room fell silent...but then erupted in cheers and shouts of joy.

"Holy shit!!"

"There's gonna be a baby Night Fury running around!!"

"Congratulations!!" They called, bringing wife smiles to Hiccup and Astrid's faces.

Hiccup wrapped his arms around Astrid and kissed her forehead. "That went better than I expected." He whispered from atop her head. She smiled at that, and the warm feeling it had brought her.

That same warm feeling didn't last very long, as the Immortals had to go.

"Alright..we've got the locations, we've got our modes of transportation. Let's get recruiting." Hiccup said finally. He took a moment to look down at his clothing and over everyone else's. "But uh, lets change first. Civvies guys, civvies."

 **Motonui, Polynesia**

A jet wasn't necessarily a very stealthy or subtle approach. But it was still the fastest thing he had to reach these islands. Hiccup hovered over the skyline with the Immortal X-Wing in stealth mode, using various reflective plates and visual effects to make it appear invisible to the naked eye.

Landing the jet in a somewhat remote area, he began his on foot trek. He'd traded in his earlier attire for a short sleeved black shirt, a pair of dark jeans and some black vans. A pair of sunglasses helped ease the tension from the Polynesian sun. He treaded over the sandy ground with a quicker pace than normal, looking to his phone for proper directions to the tribe's home.

"Where the hell is it?" He asked after a good twenty minutes of walking and being met with nothing more than the ocean's splash and the subtle smell of sulfur. His eyes pinned up to the skies as they began to turn dark, heading the sound of lightning rushing down towards the beach. And towards him. "Ah shit." He swore as he prepared himself and managed to just barely avoid the lightning bolt- going into a backflip just in time.

"Alright...that just happened….I must be close."

"Little too close if you ask me." Came a feminine voice. Hiccup turned around with a swiftness and found his target.

Moana stood tall, 5'11. It was intimidating for anyone shorter than Hiccup's own stature but he stood firm when facing her. "Moana Cravalho."

"Random stranger trespassing on my land." Moana replied as she gripped the handle of her weapon, it's golden tones shimmering with the light from the sun. She wore a form of fish scale armor, green and maroon in color. The base of it was maroon with green wave patterns sweeping across the chest, legs and arms. Her look was completed by a pair of green boots and bracers.

"Yeah not so much random. I'm Hiccup Haddock." Hiccup responded, Moana's face not shifting slightly,

"...and?" She asked, taking him aback slightly. He gave a small sigh and ran a hand through his hair. "The planet's in danger, and I need all the help I can get" he began to explain, Moana's face shifting to a look of concern. "I'll be straight and forward. Recently, my team uncovered some black market weapons dealings- off world. A warrior race known as the Aurari are coming to Earth to add it to their little collection. We need all the hero's we can get our hands on to help."

Moana seemed to take in his words, her eyes cutting briefly to the forest behind them, then back to him. "How do I know you're telling the truth?" She asked, watching as Hiccup let out a breath.

"I...I honestly don't know. But, if you know anything about heroic history, you'll know the name Night Fury." He said, her eyes shooting open as a smile graced her face.

"I do! He's one of the greatest heroes of modern time...wait...you're not?"

He smirked and nodded his hand. "Indeed I am." He said before charging a bit of chi into his right fist and taking a stance. "And I could really use your help, weather goddess."

Moana smirked back as she twirled her weapon in her hands. "Sea goddess actually...and I'd be honored to defend this planet with you."

"Awesome." Was his response as he approached and offered a hand to her, which she took and shook with pride.

Arcadia Oaks.

Meridia have a soft sigh as she looked to the pouring rain, having just made it to the city and been met with a downpour. She was wasting no time and quickly changed into her Huntress attire, taking to stalking the city from above. It wasn't even dark yet, but the city had a gray loom overhead- enough to shield her guise for now.

The swift archer moved with finesse , gliding over each rooftop in the city until finding her destination- a small house in a middle class neighborhood, not too far from the larger parts of the city. Using her mask's infrared vision, she scanned over it and found her target in the living room.

With a stealthy approach, she moved towards the backyard and snuck through a window on the bottom floor. It was an easy entry, and the house had plenty of spaces for her to stick to the shadows if needed. She carried along, watching as his form shifted slightly on the couch.

She shook her head slightly at the young man before finally stepping up behind the couch, watching as he munched in a candy bar and kept his eyes fixed to the television.

"Ye're not one for perception are ye?" She asked, watching as he leapt onto the floor from the surprise, then sprung to his feet and took a defensive stance. Huntress lifted a hand to him. "Kid, please."

Jim's eyes went wide and a goofy grin sprung across his face at the image of the dark green clad woman. He analyzed everything, from the bow and arrows down to the glowing green eyes of her mask. "Y-you're Huntress!" He said, Merida giving a curt nod in response.

"Wow!!" He continued, running both hands through his hair in disbelief. "I-uh...to what do I owe the honor, ma'am?" He asked, nervousness heavy in his voice.

Merida chuckled to herself at that. "Calm down lad. I need yer help. Or rather, the Immortals need yer help." She said, moving to sit on the couch he'd so gracefully fallen off of. He stared at her in awe.

"The Immortals? W-what could you guys possibly need my help for?" He asked, watching as the hooded woman smirked.

"Alien invasion, unlike anyting this worlds ever seen. We need reinforcements to ensure tha safety of tha planet." She explained then, watching as the young man's eyes went even wider. He smiled then.

"Count me in!" He shouted.

She chuckled once again before standing up. "Good." She said before handing him some sort of business card. "Just give us a ring and ye'll know more later." She said, turning to exit the house.

She didn't look at his awestruck face as she made her exit, but heard him exclaim "Awesome." As she stepped out of the backdoor.

 **Dragon's Edge**

While all of the other Immortals were out on their recruiting spree, Atali stayed back to try to find more on Grimmel. And so far, her trail was lost. Her ship's tracker couldn't find any residual energy from the man, and she didn't know what to do next. She sighed as she looked to the computer screen for the umpteenth time, still no changes.

"You look bored." Called a voice, forcing the warrior woman to turn around and watch as Tuffnut entered wearing his suit, minus the helmet. Ruffnut follows in wearing the same.

"Wanna come on patrol with us? Having a powerhouse like you with us would send those losers out there runnin' for their mommies." Ruff said with a smile as her brother bumped her shoulder in agreement.

Atali looked to the two for a moment, pondering what to do. Her next glance went to Soulstar, the axe seemingly glowing in agreement before rushing to her hand, more like an organic life form than an inanimate weapon. She smirked at the Terror Twins. "Let's go." She said.

They journeyed across the entire city, searching for some sort of crime to take down. Their search was made much quicker with Atali flying overhead, and both of them hanging from her hands with glee.

"Ooh! Down there, looks like a shootout!" Barf exclaimed as Belch cupped his hands around his eyes. He could see the two police cruisers and four officers ducking for cover as a barrage of gunfire hit the vehicles from the building across the street. There were five men opposing them, and a car driving around the corner.

"Looks like you're right, sister dear. Let's go shut it down!"

They began their descent, Atali dropping the twins a few feet from the gunmen before landing right in front of the car that was approaching. Peering through the windshield, she saw a masked man gawking as he slammed onto the brakes. The man drew a gun from his pocket and got out, aiming at her.

"Please don't." Atali said in annoyance. The man didn't listen and opened fire, his mouth dropped as he saw every shot bounce off of the woman's armor and skin. As she watched the bullets fall, Atali looked back up with a smirk- only to be met with a pistol whip.

The bottom of the gun dented inwards upon contact, and she chuckled before striking out a palm into the man's chest, sending him flying about six feet back.

"Too easy." She said as she turned to the rest of the scene. The Terror Twins had disbanded the little group and tied them up with ease. "Well done." Atali said.

The officers on the side lowered their weapons, though a bit hesitant. One was not so hesitant, and was the first to move after the short battle. She approached Atali with a smile upon her face. Atali turned to see the woman, and found herself smiling. The woman was roughly around 5'9 and had red hair, with green eyes and freckles. She looked to the the name slate upon her uniform. "Crood." It read.

"Thanks for the help." The Officer said, her smile not fading even under Atali's seemingly judgemental gaze.

"Y-you're quite welcome miss Crood." Atali replied as she brought herself to look into the woman's eyes. She noticed that the woman seemingly was in fairly good shape, and admired that about her.

"Officer Crood is fine...or Emma, if you'd ever see me off duty." She replied, feeling a flush come to her cheeks.

Atali nodded at her, then cast a look over to the twins, both of which were giving her a thumbs up. "Off duty...I'm...I'm Atali, daughter of Freyja." She said with a bow, Emma giggling to herself.

"So you're that Demi-goddess we've heard so much about. Nice to finally meet ya." She said, sticking a hand out to the woman. Atali took it with pride and gave a firm, but not too firm, shake. "If ya ever need a tour guide, I'd be happy to show you around." Emma said, much to Atali's enjoyment.

"I'd enjoy that..verily." She said. The situation felt a bit awkward on both sides, yet they found themselves becoming a bit more comfortable with every passing word.

"Here." Emma said, pulling out a small notepad and scribbling something down. She tore the note and gave it to Atali. "Just give me a call." She said, watching as the warrior woman took it and cast an award glance aside.

"I um, I have no communication device." She said.

"Borrow mine!" Shouted Belch, who chuckled softly along with his sister.

Emma smiled at the two, then turned back to Atali. "So, now you can definitely call." She said, turning around as a fellow officer called her name.

"Gotta get these guys into the station." He said with a soft smile upon his lips, Emma nodded and turned back to Atali.

"Right, I have to go. But Um, just call me sometime. Who knows, maybe we can get you a phone of your own." She said, beginning to back away. Atali nodded and gave a firm wave as the woman's image began to leave.

She found herself being tussled but the twins who leapt at her in a crazed joy. "Someone's got a crush!!" Barf chided as she and Belch began to dance around Atali. The Asgardian gave a roll of her eyes at the two and then lifted both up in a bone crushing hug. "Shut up…. And thank you both...I needed this rest from my search." She said before setting them down. Barf gave a punch to her shoulder.

"Anytime!!"

 **Metro City**

Hiccup stood grand and tall in his Night Fury suit, on the edge of the highest building he could find. He looked over the city with a keen eye, trying to pinpoint his last target for recruitment. And so far, he'd found nothing. Nothing but a scream for help.

The man launched himself from the roof and began to glide over the skyline before landing on a smaller building and dropping down into a sprint. Almost as soon as he rounded the corner, the screaming had stopped. He watched as a woman gathered her belongs from the ground and glared at a seemingly unconscious man on the ground.

"Attempted robbery...how'd it stop so fast?" He wondered. Deep down he knew the answer. He smirked as he approached the woman and held out a hand.

"Hi. Know I don't belong here but I was wondering if you could help me find someone." He said, the woman scurrying back and letting out a shriek at his appearance.

He tried to keep her calm then. "Woah, easy. I'm the Night Fury, ya know? Leader of the Immortals?"

The woman's eyes locked onto his form for a moment, then moved over him towards the skyline. He turned to face that same direction then.

"Ah shit." He swore under his breath, his cowl's enhanced vision locking onto what appeared to be a spec in the sky. That same spec soared at him at blazing speeds and stopped just four feet in front of him, hovering slightly off of the ground.

"Metro Man I presume?" Night Fury asked, a bit hesitant. The man's eyes narrowed slightly as he stared back at him.

"Night Fury…" Metro Man replied. He finally landed onto the ground. "What are you doing here?" He asked. The wind whipped past the two men's capes, and a silence filled the air.

"I need your help with something. It's pretty important." Night Fury replied as he kept his gaze fixed upon the man. He seized up for a moment under his gaze- it was intimidating to know he could fry him in an instant. Sure his skin would heal over a long period of time, but that was beside the point.

Metro Man felt something similar. He'd heard stories of the dark Night Fury before, read tales on him. Knowing all of the things he was capable of, it truly left him in a state of unease.

The two stared for a moment, their silence being pierced by nothing. Until finally, the Night Fury spoke. "We need your help."

————

 ** _Alright that's it for this chapter. The recruits have been contacted, and Astrid's secret has been revealed!! So, who was expecting that one? If you've got any ideas for Pixar or DreamWorks characters that can accept the call to arms in this fic, which is a massive crossover at this point, let me know._**

 ** _Until next time- XO_**


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